A secret intelligence mission recently conducted along the southern border of the United States found that drug cartels are teaming with terrorists to exploit the numerous vulnerabilities along the sparsely defended 2,000-mile Mexican border.
The mission, dubbed Operation Red Zone was conducted in February and March by the Army’s Asymmetrical Warfare Group (AWG). The clandestine intelligence gathering organization is a 350-member special mission unit that works to identify critical threats and enemy and friendly vulnerabilities through global first-hand observations, the Army says.
The group is based at Ft. Meade, Maryland, also home to the National Security Agency.
Red Zone investigators discovered numerous alien smuggling and drug trafficking operations along the border. Perpetrators are using maritime surface craft, semi-submersible watercraft, ultra-light aircraft and possess the capability [to] utilize other potential aerial infiltration techniques to circumvent ground border protection capabilities,according to Asymmetric Observations Along the U.S.- Mexican Border released May 14 by the Army to federal and state law enforcement agencies.
The AWG served as observers to advise the Border Patrol, Coast Guard and local law enforcement. During the operation AWG personnel were not authorized to enter Mexican territory and none were armed,Donald Cicotte, spokesman for the AWG at Ft. Meade tells Newsmax.
After the mission was completed, AWG personnel prepared a classified report for the Department of Defense. A cleansed version, like the one viewed by Newsmax, was sent to civilian law enforcement agencies
