U.S. military has made plans to attack the Mexican drug cartels

A recent report suggested that President Donald Trump had secretly authorized the U.S. military to take action against the Mexican drug cartels in Mexican territory, an escalation of his broader efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the country.

Now comes word that, should Trump give the “Go” order for an anti-cartel operation in Mexico, the Pentagon has already drawn up a variety of plans for attacks, according to Rolling Stone.

Meanwhile, separate reports have revealed that the U.S. military is moving certain assets and units into position in the region, to be ready if or when the order from the president comes.

Anti-cartel military action authorized

Last week, The New York Times dropped a bombshell report about President Trump quietly signing a directive to authorize the use of military force against the Mexican drug cartels, an idea he has longed toyed with as being potentially necessary in the ongoing battle against cross-border drug trafficking and human smuggling.

Some of the details of that report have now been allegedly confirmed to Rolling Stone by unnamed U.S. officials, and by all accounts the threat to take military action against the cartels in Mexico is legitimate and not merely a bluff, and is intended to compel further cooperative measures from the Mexican government.

“It’s not a negotiating tactic. It’s not Art of the Deal,” an anonymous senior administration official said. “The president has been clear that a strike … is coming unless we see some big, major changes.”

Plans drawn up for raids and airstrikes

According to the Rolling Stone’s report, the Trump administration has been planning a “soft invasion” of Mexico to target the cartels since his re-election in November, which could include Special Operations raids to capture or kill cartel leadership, along with airstrikes from military aircraft or drones against cartel infrastructure and drug labs.

Sources claimed there have been multiple meetings on the subject since January involving the White House, Pentagon, and intelligence agencies, and an assortment of target packages have already been drawn up for the president’s consideration, including “possible targets like high-profile cartel hubs or leadership hideouts, or drug-making facilities,” not to mention top-level leaders.

Of course, the plans are not foolproof or without some risk, including vocal opposition from the Mexican government and Democrats in Congress, if not also some Republicans, as well as the fact that captured or killed leaders and destroyed facilities can and will be replaced rather easily, according to analysts and experts.

Indeed, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted with fury to The Times’ initial report, and said, “The United States is not going to come to Mexico with their military. We cooperate, we collaborate, but there will be no invasion. It’s off the table, absolutely off the table.”

Just days later, though, Mexico agreed to extradite more than two dozen cartel leaders and members to the U.S. for criminal prosecution, which the Rolling Stone’s report indicated was “an attempt to stave off U.S. military intervention and preserve ongoing trade negotiations.”

Additional military units deployed to the region

Meanwhile, the Rolling Stone’s report was seemingly bolstered by a CNN report that the Pentagon has repositioned and deployed the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and an Amphibious Ready Group to U.S. Southern Command, which has control over the Caribbean and Latin American region.

Those Marines and their landing equipment will reportedly be supported by additional reconassaince aircraft, an attack submarine, a guided-missile cruiser, and several destroyers, all of which are “aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region,” per the outlet’s unnamed sources.

One source suggested the deployment was intended, at least for now, as a “show of force” in the region, but acknowledged that the assets, which aren’t typically utilized for drug interdictions or law enforcement operations, would be ready to go if or when an attack order was given.

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