Security crisis in Ecuador due to drug trafficking: The Armed Forces' struggle to counter it

Abstract

Drug trafficking has become the primary source of funding for transnational organized crime in Ecuador. This unconventional threat led the country into a security crisis that prompted the declaration of an Internal Armed Conflict in 2024. This study, using a mixed-methods approach, collects and analyzes the perceptions of 100 members of the educational community at the Abdón

Calderón Military School in Cuenca during the first quarter of 2026 regarding the drug trafficking-related security crisis and the actions of the Armed Forces to combat it. A questionnaire using a 20-item Likert scale revealed that over 90% of respondents identified drug trafficking as the greatest threat to sovereignty, and 85% supported military intervention. The results demonstrate the need to complement the use of force with other measures such as educational prevention and socioeconomic development. Considering the findings, a multifactorial improvement is proposed to optimize the defense doctrine and military capabilities of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces to combat current threats, for the benefit of the nation.