If I had to design a new recruitment video for MARSOC or Special Forces, it would probably be the latest Cappy Army video. To the civilians out there, these young kids are hungry and just want a mission that matters. Honestly, more missions like this and there would be no recruitment problems at all! Regardless, I highly recommend watching the whole thing, but here are my key takeaways:
- Advise and Assist comes with a breaching charge!
- These are big, well-coordinated missions in a fight to secure the Western Hemisphere. This is way bigger than Ecuador.
- The CJNG Cartel is the target, and they are learning from wider conflicts, including the war in Ukraine…see tweet below the video.
- In my opinion, the CJNG is no longer outsourcing to local gangs because of pressure on local groups, and the fight has gotten too technical for local forces, creating outsourcing and operational risks. (It is cheaper to do it yourself, and the cost pressure from prioritizing the fight has caused an adjustment in tactics) With low-hanging fruit getting rolled up, they have to take a more active role in the logistics chain.
- What a time to be in the fight. Make the Americas Great Again!
- The cartels are a global enterprise and require strategic assets.
- There are still cartel rivalries; they will fight each other, and that is a good thing for us.
- Cuba is still a priority.
Overall, this is very good, and I highly recommend watching the entire video.
This is concerning and a very big deal. If CJNG brings these tactics to the Americas, it could become a real problem not limited to South America. They will bring this to the southern border.
Mercenaries linked to the CJNG have been spotted in Ukrainian forests.
In the video, one of the fighters says “Puro Chapiza y puro Cartel Jalisco,” a chant praising the CJNG and Los Chapitos, their allies.
Reports have circulated for some time that cartels are sending men to Ukraine to gain combat experience, with survivors then returning to fight their rivals at home.
— Cartel Watch (@CartelWatchNet) October 5, 2026
How about some good news. While US involvement is not as direct in Mexico, it is the main event.
Major blow against drug trafficking.
Fredy Chacón, alias “El Mexicano,” a key CJNG-linked figure operating in Medellín, has been captured. Authorities found him in a luxury mansion in El Poblado, reportedly still in his underwear, and seized computers, phones, hard drives, and documents. A clean, successful operation. No breathing room.
Governments that recently shifted right are taking the same line: confront narco-terrorism directly instead of managing it. If Brazil follows that path, the country would finally join the fight in earnest. The silence has lasted long enough.
— Cartel Watch (@CartelWatchNet) September 30, 2026
Take note of China’s involvement here. Not only is this a financial investment, but it also creates space for their unrestricted warfare policy in the Americas and limits US involvement there. It matters. This points to why the current administration is working so hard and why the strategy of the Americas has changed so much under the current administration.
FT: Nicaragua has handed mining concessions covering more than a tenth of its land to Chinese companies in the past three years, expanding Beijing’s foothold in the gold-rich country as it tussles with Washington for influence.
https://t.co/psKRo4CsO7— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) September 28, 2026
I don’t know if this is true, but to drive this home, Venezuela matters, and while Iran and China have not been overt in trying to reestablish themselves there. Don’t think they have forgotten it. Iran would love nothing more than to open another front there.
🚨Alert: Iranian sabotage!! Venezuela’s Cardon Oil refinery, the country’s second largest at 310,000 barrels per day, just exploded and caught fire, forcing a full shutdown! https://t.co/epY5bWv5ps
— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) October 7, 2026
In summary, the fight is real, and the fight matters. It goes way beyond kinetic action and requires a much deeper understanding of the environment there. I can’t imagine a better time to be in Special Operations, specifically 7th Group and MARSOC! Regional security is finally a priority, and I could not be happier about it.