This is an interesting development, because now we are sending in the big guns to talk shop with Mexico about what else can be done. And when I hear things like, ‘evolve the Merida Inititative’, I tend to take notice. Does that mean we are going to add more teeth to it, or fast track the current orders, or what? Will this look more and more like the Plan Colombia that everyone keeps talking about, as the violence increases on the border? Well, when you send the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and our Defense Secretary to Mexico, that might be an indication of things to come.
I also noticed over at Diplopundit, that all the consulates in Mexico are getting a 15% Danger Pay increase. So yet again, is this a sign of things to come? Because this is definitely a recognition of the fact that things really are dangerous for our diplomats in Mexico. Duh.
Finally, I wanted to talk about this Merida Initiative. I have heard next to nothing about this in the idle industry chit chat out there. And believe me, I check the forums and do my searches–yet nothing. If any of the readership has anything relevant, please feel free to add whatever in the comments. Like with China, I would like to make Feral Jundi the goto resource for anything related to contracting in Mexico. As this thing ‘evolves’, I think we will see more interesting opportunities pop up–much like what happened with Plan Colombia. –Matt
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Gates, Mullen Head U.S. Crime-Fighting Delegation to Mexico
Camille Tuutti
Mar 22, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will travel to Mexico City this week as part of a U.S. delegation focused on helping the Mexican government fight drug-trafficking cartels and other security threats.
“It is in our interest that our friends have greater capabilities to protect their own security and to take care of transnational criminal activity such as the drug cartels,” Gates said. “It is in our interest, because we have [a] shared interest to enhance the capabilities of the Mexican armed forces.”
The Mexico visit will build on the last high-level consultative group session, when Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa discussed ways to evolve the Mérida Initiative in December 2008.
Those talks focused on breaking the power of drug-trafficking organizations, improving border security and strengthening the rule of law, as well as democratic institutions and human rights.
Passed by Congress in June 2008, the Mérida Initiative aims to combat the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime and money laundering, and it gives the United States a framework to provide Mexico with equipment, training and technical expertise to support the Mexican military’s drug-interdiction activities.
During a 2009 visit to Mexico City, Mullen praised Mexican leaders for their firm stand against drug cartels.
“From my perspective, we have shared responsibilities for the cause and shared responsibilities for the solutions,” he told his hosts. “How we work those shared responsibilities is very important.”
More intelligence sharing and more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, as well as a stronger military-to-military relationship, could improve the Mexican military’s capabilities for the challenges they face, Mullen said.
He also emphasized during that trip that other U.S. agencies, including the State and Homeland Security departments and the Drug Enforcement Agency, play important roles in supporting Mexico.
“There are fairly far-reaching areas of cooperation,” he said. “These are very much ongoing.”
Story here.
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Mexican Border Consular Posts Get 15% Danger Pay
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Information posted in the State Department’s Office of Allowances indicates that the six border posts in Mexico were granted a 15% danger pay as of March 14, 2010. As I posted previously here, none of the Mexican posts had danger pay differential except for Reynosa (where we have a Consular Agency) prior to the Cd. Juarez murders of March 13. Now Reynosa has 0 differential but all six border posts have a 15% danger pay allowance.
Read the rest of the story here.
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Merida Initiative (Wikipedia)
As of November 2009, the U.S. has delivered about $214 million of the pledged $1.6 billion.
The Mérida Initiative will provide funding for:
• Non-intrusive inspection equipment such as ion scanners, gamma ray scanners, X-ray vans and canine units for Mexico and Central America.
• Technologies to improve and secure telecommunications systems that collect criminal information in Mexico.
• Technical advice and training to strengthen the institutions of justice, case management software to track investigations through the system, new offices of citizen complaints and professional responsibility, and witness protection programs to Mexico.
• Thirteen Bell 412 EP helicopters (5 with INCLE funds for the Federal Police and 8 with FMF funds for the military).
• Eight UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopters (three with INCLE funds for the Federal Police and 5 with FMF funds for the Mexican Air Force).
• Up to four CASA CN-235 transport aircraft.
• Equipment, training and community action programs in Central American countries to implement anti-gang measures and expand the reach of these measures.