In the lead-up to the State of the Union address, the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence released a message highlighting what
it considers key advances in national security under the “America First”
strategy.
According to the statement, President Donald Trump decided
to designate certain violent cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This
designation, according to the official statement, expands the federal
government’s legal and operational tools to combat these groups by allowing
security agencies to apply frameworks and capabilities originally developed for
combating international terrorism.
In particular, the National Counterterrorism Center was
authorized to use its more than twenty years of experience in counterterrorism
operations to address what the statement describes as “narco-terrorism.” This would
involve integrating strategic intelligence, financial analysis, and interagency
coordination to identify, disrupt, and neutralize the structures of these
organizations.
The message emphasizes that the central goal of these
actions is to weaken transnational criminal networks responsible for drug
trafficking and other illicit activities, as well as to strengthen the
protection of the American people. The statement is part of the government
narrative that links homeland security policy with border protection, the fight
against organized crime, and the defense of national interests.