Use of U.S. Naval Surface Combatants in the Maritime Counternarcotics Interdiction Effort: A Major Impact on the Flow of Drugs

摘要

United States Code Title 10 specifically designated the Department of Defense as the single lead agency for the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs into the United States. From a macroscopic view, although a record 60.2 metric tons of cocaine and 23 metric tons of marijuana were seized by maritime forces in 2000 an estimated 568 metric tons of cocaine slipped through the transit zone - more than enough to meet the demand. Continued funding and dedication of already over-tasked naval assets to this 'war of attrition' does not appear on the surface to be warranted. However further research at the strategic operational and tactical level using a variety of measures of effectiveness showed this was not the case. Based on the positive results, the evidence suggested that naval surface combatants make an irreplaceable contribution to the nation's goal to shield America's air, sea and land from the drug threat, These measurable results indicated not only that there is an effective presence with a high detection and monitoring rate of both air and maritime drug trafficking events but the evidence also suggested that with increased interagency cooperation and continued focus on high-threat areas the maritime STEEL WEB concept will eventually result in an overall reduced drug flow in the transit zone.