There is no way that we will totally stop the smuggling of drugs into this country no matter what we do. Our civil law enforcement and drug interdiction personnel have their plates so full that there is no way they can begin to do the job that they need to do to stem the tide of drugs flowing into this country each day. So the question is what do we have to do to deal with this problem? If we were to get serious about putting a serious dent in the drug flow into this country we should look at the possibility of using our military troops and technology to help to fight the war on drugs. Our troops can adapt quickly to a variety of situations and we need to put the technology to work that we have spent so many of our tax dollars on. This will save dollars required to equip our border police and keep our military well tuned at the same time.
Illegal drugs and drug trafficking have had more of a negative impact on our society than any other event or set of events in our history. The drug trade accounts for most of the violence that we see in the form of murders and much of the robbery and vice committed in this country. I personally dont see how we can afford not to utilize our military and its technology in our fight on drugs. Lets look at the costs associated with the drug trade in America. Some of the areas where reduced drug trafficking will save us money are the enforcement personnel that we have to employ to fight it along with the health and benefits coverage that we have to provide for them, the personnel and materials needed to house and care for prisoners who are incarcerated due to their role in the drug trade. We would also save the money that we spend on social programs for criminals and drug users. Since the military is paid whether they are at war or peace our operating budget for the salaries of the troops would not be a factor. We would also save on the money used for the free medical care that we give to junkies and pushers who dont have the money or cant say that they do have it because they get it illegally.
Some military technology which we can definitely use are the drones which have done such an outstanding job in Iraq and Afghanistan that they are now being used by our border patrol, satellite and other surveillance may be good to use to help find areas where illicit drugs are grown in large quantities. Special ops troops would be useful to raid drug producing areas and destroy crops or disrupt drug supply operations.
We are using our troops in countries where their presence isnt appreciated even though they are giving their lives to protect the people of these foreign nations. Lets utilize them in our own country to defend our borders from drug trafficking and the violence of the drug cartels which often spills over onto our soil. I cant see how it would be a wrong move to make under any circumstances. There is talk that our troops are not trained to be law enforcement personnel or even border patrol personnel but they are versatile. Look at the job that they have done in Afghanistan and Iraq. They went and did their jobs as soldiers but as both countries quickly fell into anarchy they adapted to the situation and learned how to perform the duties required to police the countries until a local army and police force could be established. If anyone doubts that our military can do the job then they have sadly underestimated the resilience and resolve of our armed forces.
Military Ring Express
