The hidden war for border security [INTERVIEW]
At this year’s Economic Forum in Karpacz, the editorial staff of Defence24 had the opportunity to talk to an extraordinary guest, Gen. (Ret.) Terry L. Bullard. He is the former Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Quantico, Virginia, a structure responsible, among other things, for counterintelligence protection of the US Air Force. Now Gen. Bullard is a respected civilian expert on security issues, including border security. In his conversation with Jacek Raubo, questions arose primarily concerning comparing the situation on the US-Mexico border with that on the Polish-Belarusian border.
Gen. Bullard referred, for example, to issues related to the instrumental use of migration and the weaponization of this issue. At the same time, he was also asked about the problem of the US and Poland sending significant contingents of armed forces to their borders. In the case of the US, the guest noted and strongly emphasized the issue of the fight against drugs as one of the most important determinants of his country’s contemporary security and the wide range of activities related to the protection of land and sea borders. The interview also includes assessments of the current threat posed by the growing power of drug cartels.
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Moreover, he noted that this does not only concern American security, as organized crime from Mexico, Venezuela, and other places in the Americas is now able to adapt to the conditions of a globalized world. He referred to this in relation to drug trafficking, but also to the search for solutions in the field of criminal and even paramilitary activity. In the latter case, the guest noted that cartels do not shy away from seeking experienced personnel who can provide them with, for example, intelligence capabilities and counterintelligence cover, and who are now also skilled in using the latest military technologies, including unmanned systems.
Importantly, when analyzing the significance of non-state actors« activities concerning the security of the US and the West, there were serious doubts about the presence of state actors in the background. It is particularly true today, when Russia and China are willing to promote the erosion of the rule of law in Western countries and influence their social situation, internal security, and other critical issues.
