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.