On September 3, U.S. naval forces destroyed a maritime refueling hub used by the Ecuadorian group Los Choneros. The operation took place in the Eastern Pacific's international waters under the direction of SOUTHCOM.
The MH-60 Seahawk and the 11-Meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat
The precision of the strike relied on a layered tactical approach utilizing high-tech surveillance and rapid-insertion craft. According to the report, an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter provided the initial airborne tracking and sniper overwatch, using forward-looking infrared optics to ensure the area was clear of hostiles before the assault began.
Once the perimeter was secure, assault elements from Littoral Combat Force 24 (LCF-24) deployed via an 11-Meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. This specialized team, consisting of eight to ten heavily armed Marines and crew, executed a rapid Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) sequence to clear the vessel. the entire operation was launched from the USS San Antonio (LPD 17), a 684-foot amphibious warfare platform that serves as a mobile sea base for MV-22 Ospreys and attack helicopters.
Trump's Executive Order and the Shift to Kinetic Strikes
This mission is not an isolated incident but part of a broader strategic pivot by the Trump administration toward "kinetic" operations against drug cartels. As reported by SOUTHCOM, this aggressive posture began roughly one year ago when President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing the use of military force against designated narco-terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.
The sinking of the Los Choneros vessel follows a similar precedent set during a previous strike that destroyed a boat carrying 11 smugglers from the Tren de Aragua organization. by treating these vessels as legitimate military targets rather than simple law enforcement seizures, the U.S. military is signaling a transition from traditional interdiction to active combat operations against transnational criminal networks .
Dismantling the Los Choneros Logistics Chain
The targeted vessel was not a transport ship but a floating refueling station, which Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the SOUTHCOM Commander, identified as a crucial logistics hub. These stations allow high-speed narco-boats to extend their range across the Eastern Pacific, enabling the smuggling of illicit narcotics toward the United States without needing to dock at monitored ports.
By sending this supply ship to the bottom of the ocean, SOUTHCOM aims to create a "fuel famine" for Los Choneros. This strategy focuses on the vulnerability of the cartel's suplpy chain, recognizing that without mid-ocean refueling, the high-speed craft used by Ecuadorian traffickers are severely limited in their operational reach.
Who were the personnel transferred to Ecuadorian authorities?
While the operation was a tactical success, several details remain opaque. The report mentions that personnel were taken into custody and transferred to Ecuador for prosecution, but it does not specify the number of detainees or their rank within the Los Choneros hierarchy. it remains unclear if these individuals were low-level crew members or high-value logistics coordinators.
Furthermore, while the mission advances the goals of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) and Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM), the specific nature of the "close coordination" with the Ecuadorian government is not detailed. It is unknown whether Ecuador provided the intelligence that located the vessel or if the U.S. is operating under a broader bilateral security agreement that allows for these kinetic strikes in international waters.
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