The U.S. military is redirecting MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Latin America as it expands operations against drug cartels in the region, CNN reported on Sept. 18, citing multiple sources. The drones, currently assigned to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), will transfer to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) ahead of anticipated operations, the report said.
The move comes as the U.S. escalates military action in Latin America under the Shield of the Americas agreement, also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. Under the coalition, U.S. forces and local partners are targeting narcotics traffickers, specifically cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes on suspected drug boats for more than a year, with operations intensifying this summer as regional governments joined the coalition.
It is not clear how many Reapers will leave AFRICOM’s area of responsibility or what the shift means for operations in Africa. AFRICOM regularly conducts airstrikes against militants in Somalia; the most recent occurred on Sept. 17, when it said it targeted a weapons storage space used by al-Shabaab. Several MQ-9 drones were flown over Nigeria earlier this year in support of operations around the Lake Chad Basin, and this summer the U.S. began withdrawing combat forces from Nigeria after operations against Islamic State militants wrapped up.
AFRICOM directed questions about the redeployment to the Pentagon, which declined to comment.
The drone shift follows other recent moves in the region. Last month, Ecuadorian officials confirmed U.S. Green Berets were carrying out joint operations in the country, and two U.S. warships and deployed Marines arrived. Since then, Marines with Littoral Combat Force-24 have interdicted, boarded, and sunk multiple ships allegedly operating as floating refueling stations. Top military and diplomatic leaders have visited Colombia and Peru in recent weeks, with Peru most recently announcing it would join the coalition.
On Tuesday, the State Department notified Congress that it is shifting $52 million in military assistance funds originally meant for Iraq, Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Tunisia to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama. According to the State Department, the funds will help “combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal.”
Last year, the Air Force deployed MQ-9 Reapers to Puerto Rico as part of the buildup for Operation Southern Spear, which focused on strikes on small boats that SOUTHCOM said were transporting drugs. Many elements later took part in Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela in January. The new counter-drug mission, run by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, has centered on the eastern Pacific; boat strikes since September 2025 have killed more than 200 people.
Sources: Defence Blog · DVIDS News