The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the 16th urged pilots to 'exercise extreme caution' when flying over certain areas of the Pacific Ocean near Latin America, and warned of increased military activity in the region through a series of flight notices.
The New York Times reported that the FAA has issued seven NOTAMs covering areas of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. These notices will remain in effect until March 17th, indicating that the area may be entering a longer period of military operations.
These seven notices are similar to ones the FAA issued in 2025 for the areas surrounding Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea, at a time when the US military intensified its maritime crackdown against so-called drug traffickers. When the US recently attempted to apprehend former Venezuelan President Maduro, the FAA also issued more urgent flight warnings.
It is still unclear what prompted the FAA to issue these notices. However, several maritime strike operations have occurred in the eastern Pacific in recent weeks. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which is responsible for related missions, as well as the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), whose jurisdiction includes this maritime region, both stated that they had not received any notification regarding these warnings prior to the FAA’s announcement; the US Department of Defense referred related inquiries to the FAA.
On the 15th, the New York Times reported that the US is ramping up pressure on Mexico, demanding that the Mexican side allow US forces to dismantle fentanyl labs within its borders. Meanwhile, President Trump is paving the way for the US to play a larger role in the fight against drug cartel groups. US officials hope that the US military can join Mexican forces in launching raids on suspected fentanyl labs.
In a Fox News interview last week, Trump stated that more effort is still needed. Discussing the cartels inside Mexico, he said: “We’ve already eliminated 97% of the drugs coming in via the water route. Now, we’re going to start working on land, targeting those drug cartels.” (News source: United Daily News)