The US has launched military action in Ecuador in a move that significantly risks escalating the White House’s long-running strike campaign against alleged drug boats. The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said on Tuesday that American forces are working with the Ecuadorian military to take “decisive action” against narcotrafficking organisations.

SOUTHCOM chief, Marine General Francis Donovan, said in a statement: “We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country.”

Ecuador’s defence ministry said it could not disclose specifics about its ongoing offensive operations, noting that the details were classified.

The statement followed the government’s announcement that the United States had entered what it called a “new phase” of its campaign against drug trafficking.

President Daniel Noboa — a close political ally of Donald Trump — explained that Washington was among the “regional allies” now participating in efforts to dismantle drug cartels that use Ecuador’s ports as key routes for moving cocaine to international markets.

He met in Quito on Monday with two senior US military officials — Francis Donovan, the head of US Southern Command, and Mark Schafer, who oversees US Special Operations across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

According to a statement from Noboa’s office, the discussions focused on expanding intelligence sharing and improving joint operational coordination at Ecuador’s airports and seaports, key points used by drug‑trafficking networks.

Ecuador now sits at the centre of the region’s cocaine pipeline, with an estimated 70% of the drugs produced in Colombia and Peru—the world’s top two cocaine‑producing nations—moving through its territory on their way to international markets.

That role has fuelled a violent struggle among criminal groups, rapidly transforming the country from one of Latin America’s safest into one of its most dangerous in just a few years.

Since Daniel Noboa took office in 2023, his government has deepened security cooperation with the United States, reflecting growing concern over the scale of trafficking and the surge in cartel‑linked violence.