Perspective on the Military Involvement in the War on Drugs

The United States will spend over $1 billion in FY99 in an effort to combat the illegal flow of drugs into our country. That's money directly attributed to efforts overseen by the Office for National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and does not include the monies spent by local and state agencies throughout the country. It can be argued that as a nation we have attempted several different approaches including diplomatic, economic and informational avenues as we try to deal with Caribbean and Central and South American governments. However, we seem determined on expanding military roles in the region. During the past two decades the administrations in power have continued to escalate the military's involvement in this fight. Our military's presence is so entrenched and permanent that it has become fashionable to refer to the entire process as the "war on drugs". This paper will examine the primary instruments of power the United States has applied to the problem in the past and present. It will examine the emphasis placed on the problem from the perspective of our national and military leadership. The research will reveal our country's past involvement in the region referring to several instruments of power. Then it will look at the military's involvement historically and how that role is continually expanding. The research will then consider if any of the military applications are having the desired effect and then provide some alternatives for consideration.