Operation Lowrider

The Northern Command Aerial Sensor Platform, also known as Operation Lowrider, is an American surveillance program intended to aid in combat against Mexican drug cartels, in effect since 2011. While the United States has long aided the Mexican government, the program marks a shift in US tactics.

Re-purposing techniques and equipment honed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lowrider employs manned, single engine surveillance planes that track the day-to-day movements of cartel personnel. The program created controversy as it employs private contractors to conduct surveillance, contracts awarded without bidding. The use of manned, single engine surveillance planes is also considered a dangerous risk, since the failure of the one engine could strand a pilot in the Mexican wilderness. The future of the program is in question due to Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto's desire to disengage his country's intelligence agency from that of the United States.

References
    • "Operation Lowrider sends surveillance planes over Mexico | Fox News Video". Video.foxnews.com. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
    • "Inside Lowrider, the Pentagon's secret op against Mexican drug cartels". Vocativ.com. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
    • Iaconangelo, David (2013-08-30). "Operation 'Lowrider' Sends US Manned Aircraft Into Mexico To Track Drug Cartels : News". Latin Times. Retrieved 2013-10-27.


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