Joint US-Guatemala anti-drug program failure

The Washington Examiner has a report on the difficulties that the US confronts transferring responsibility in the war on drugs to Guatemala with Joint U.S.-Guatemalan anti-drug program jeopardized by Central American government's late payments. In 2013, the Obama administration encouraged the Guatemalan government to operate its own an anti-narcotic air wing rather than rely on the US. That also seems consistent with President Perez Molina's repeated calls for the US to provide his government with the support necessary to fight the war on drugs. However, the Guatemalan government's failure to pay for the program has resulted in such poor maintenance of the helicopters that, at times, only one of six have been capable of operating.

Washington donated six upgraded Huey II helicopters, a modernized version of the Bell UH-1, to serve as Guatemala’s new anti-drug air fleet.

The Obama administration heralded the program and assisted the Guatemalan government in an award of a three-year contract to the two companies.

Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Chacon watched from a viewing stand Oct. 8, 2013, as the six helicopters flew in formation over Guatemala City's La Aurora air base.

Perez hailed the helicopter transfer as “a vote of confidence for Guatemala from the United States,” according to Dialogo, a military magazine published by U.S. Southern Command.

As early as December 2013, however, it became clear the Interior Ministry was having trouble making the monthly payments on time, according to a knowledgeable individual who was willing to speak only on the basis of anonymity.

The Guatemalan government was three and a half months behind in its payments by June of this year.

The failure to pay on time dramatically affected the availability of the helicopter air fleet by hobbling the company’s ability to maintain an adequate inventory of spare parts, according to a second knowledgeable individual.

Only two of the six helicopters were airworthy due to lack of parts on multiple occasions, and there have been times when only one of the helicopters was airworthy.

None of the helicopters met the 120 hours of flight time required for training purposes during the past three months. The contract required training for 12 Guatemalan Air Force pilots.

People rely on the military because they have little trust in the police. The US relies on its own counter-narcotic support because it has little faith in the region's capabilities and, at times, willingness.

We can't operate an a fleet of six helicopters so let's go out and purchase two patrol boats. That would bring our total number of patrol boats to two. Maybe that'll work.