No. 254 Strategic Forum February 2010 Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University http://www.ndu.edu/inss U.S.-Mexico Homeland Defense: A Compatible Interface by Victor E. Renuart, Jr., and Biff Baker new sense of trust and friendship between our experiences over the past 6 years, we find Key Points people; similarly, the Merida Initiative is assist- implausible the notion that USNORTHCOM ing our neighbor in defeating the drug threat, is not staffed or experienced enough to sup- and has further helped to build trust between The United States and Mexico share a port Mexico’s security cooperation needs. our countries. common history shaped by military incursions Hence, U.S.-Mexico Homeland Defense: A Hence, the term interface during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The compatible Compatible Interface is intended to set the in the title of this paper refers to the fact that bond between the American and Mexican record straight by pointing out the numer- the United States and Mexico have comple- people, however, has continued to grow closer ous areas of cooperation between Mexico and mentary areas of concern in each of our four over time despite occasional negative rhetoric the United States since the establishment of instruments of national power (diplomatic, from politicians in Washington, DC, and USNORTHCOM. information, military, and economic), which Mexico City. At local and state levels, relations The term compatible interface in the have been shaped by events that uniquely im- solidified through the closely knit fabric of our title of this paper refers to the fact that the pact upon North American neighbors. Hence, border towns, intermarriage between families expanded cooperation between Mexican United States and Mexico have complemen- on each side of the border, and the develop- counterparts and the U.S. Northern Command tary areas of concern in each of our four ment of infrastructure (to include water, and our interagency community will improve instruments of national power: diplomatic, wastewater, and gas and electricity utilities) the security and prosperity of the citizens of information, military, and economic. A firm that serves communities to the north and south. both our nations. understanding of where we were, and where At the national level, our relationship became we are, in these elements of power gives the closer due to economic growth resulting from This paper responds to a previous reader a better picture of the strong relation- the North American Free Trade Agreement Strategic Forum (no. 243, July 2009) enti- ship between Mexico and the United States. (NAFTA), which now accounts for almost $1 tled U.S.-Mexico Defense Relations: An billion (U.S. dollars) in trade per day between the two countries. Incompatible Interface by Craig Deare. Diplomacy and The events of 9/11 helped political leaders Some of the assertions and conclusions Information realize that an attack on one NAFTA partner within Dr. Deare’s paper were flawed due to could have significant impact upon all trading an outdated U.S.-Mexico paradigm that pre- During the first 100 years of U.S.- partners. Trade decreased among all three ceded the 9/11 attacks and recent counter- Mexican relations, diplomacy and informa- NAFTA nations due to security concerns, drug operations in Mexico. If his work had tion-sharing suffered setbacks due to armed which brought together our elected officials been published prior to the establishment of conflicts between the nascent powers. School to discuss areas of mutual concern in defense U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), children who study history on both sides of and security. Mexican military support in the it would have been well received, but times our borders are familiar with the early inter- aftermath of Hurricane Katrina helped build a have changed. Because of our collective ludes between our countries: No. 254, February 2010 Strategic Forum 1 U.S. Exports to and Imports from Mexico (US$ billions) $400 $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $0 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Exports to Mexico Imports from Mexico ■ 1836: Texas gained independence from matic relationships between Mexico City relationship as a glass half-full, with much Mexico. and Washington did not inhibit the win- of the fruit-bearing diplomacy occurring at ■ May 1846: Congress declared war on win relationships among families and local local levels. Mexico, which was ended with the Treaty of governments in our border communities. Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). Formally, relationships between the govern- Economic ■ April to November 1914: The United ments of our two nations remained distant States occupied Veracruz due to the Tampico in the last century;1 informally, however, The United States and Mexico have sep- Affair. our ties have grown stronger over the past arate and distinct national centers of gravity, ■ March 1916 to February 1917: The 150 years. Despite the distance between var- but from a bilateral perspective, the North United States retaliated against the Francisco ious political leaders and occasional neg- American economy, trade, and related crit- “Pancho” Villa raids. ative rhetoric used in election campaigns ical infrastructures are shared centers of north and south of the border, the people of gravity that must be defended to preserve our Diplomacy and misinformation the United States and Mexico married, nur- way of life. Over the past century, collabora- appeared to remain in a continuous state of tured extended families, developed trade, tion and economic prosperity grew due to the conflict, in part due to accusations thrown and collaborated on many social and eco- initiatives of small businesses, corporations, across the border that typically served nomic issues. In short, while our politicians and local governments. In addition, bor- the needs of U.S. and Mexican politicians saw a glass half-empty, the citizens in our der communities developed common water, who sought reelection. In contrast, diplo- border communities saw the U.S.-Mexican wastewater, and electric and gas utilities that shared costs, which benefited citizens from General Victor E. Renuart, Jr., USAF, is Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command both nations. These growing economic rela- and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). Dr. Biff Baker is a USNORTHCOM Senior Policy Analyst in tionships were further enhanced and for- Security Cooperation and Partnerships. malized when Mexico, the United States, and No. 254, February 2010 Strategic Forum 2 Canada implemented the North American tured goods (such as computers and electri- of President Felipe Calderón and his counter- Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, cal equipment). drug initiatives. which eliminated tariffs and many nontariff Partnering in World War II. The barriers, resulting in current trade between In recent years, almost 85 percent of Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the the United States and Mexico of almost $1 Mexico’s exports have gone to the United defining moments in U.S. history leading to billion per day. States, making Mexican economic success a declaration of war against the Axis pow- The increasing integration of the Mexican, dependent on the balance between trade and ers. Canada had been at war with Germany American, and Canadian economies represents security. U.S. economic success is also depen- since September 1939 and, showing solidarity a model of mutually beneficial trade. In con- dent on this balance. Continued prosperity with the United States, immediately declared trast to the gloom-and-doom debates held in depends on reliable homeland defense and war against Japan. Mexico immediately broke 1993, NAFTA’s implementation has been ben- security, which can only be achieved through off relationships with the Axis powers in 1941. eficial to each nation’s economy. While main- Then, due to the sinking of the oil tanker taining distinct monetary, fiscal, economic, and Portero de Llano and numerous submarine social policies and practices tailored to each continued prosperity attacks on Mexican ships throughout 1942, nation’s particular needs and economic struc- depends on reliable Mexico declared war against Nazi Germany ture, our countries have managed to forge an and Imperial Japan. The war led to greater open marketplace where goods, services, and homeland defense and trade between our nations, with Mexican oil capital can move freely. To preserve that eco- security, which can only fueling the U.S. war machine. Due to a com- nomic freedom and prosperity, our homeland be achieved through mon threat, historical animosities were set defense and security initiatives must be planned greater coordination and aside, which led to enhanced military coopera- and coordinated continentally. tion for the mutual defense of North America. As shown in the figure, security mea- information-sharing among This new level of cooperation resulted sures and concerns about further terror- military partners as well as in the training of Mexican fighter pilots ist attacks resulted in a short-term recession the law enforcement and in the United States, and the creation of a that adversely impacted our economies. This Mexican P–47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron short-term decline in trade started in 2001 interagency community called the “Aztec Eagles.” The 201st Mexican and continued through 2003, with substantial Fighter Squadron, Mexican Expeditionary recovery in 2005 and 2006. These