01JUL25 - SOUTHCOM’s TMPI: Towards Integrated Deterrence in the Americas by Building Maintenance Capacity- #ECUADOR - "Analyzing Ecuador’s foreign policy trajectory over the past two decades is pertinent to illuminating the region’s evolving political and security landscape. During President Rafael Correa’s administration between 2007 and 2017, Ecuador pivoted by severing its military relations with the US.

This comprehensive shift included ordering the closure of the security cooperation office in the US Embassy and honoring but not renewing the lease term for the Manta Air Base, causing the withdrawal of approximately 300 US military personnel stationed there.

However, this period of strained relations was followed by the re-establishment of the Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) in 2018, signaling a potential shift that ultimately materialized with new military cooperation agreements signed with the US in 2023 under President Lasso and ratified in 2024 by President Daniel Noboa. This policy shift highlights the volatility inherent in international relations

and underscores how changes in domestic leadership can markedly alter foreign policy trajectories. The re-establishment of military cooperation reflects Noboa’s assessment of Ecuador’s national security imperatives and recognizes the strategic benefits of reinvigorating closer ties with the US.

Correa’s strategic maneuvering indicates a broader trend in Latin America, where transitions between left- and right-leaning administrations frequently impact US security cooperation dynamics. Shifts in the region’s dominant political ideologies, such as the rise of left-wing leadership prioritizing alternatives to neoliberalism and later the ascendance of right-wing administrations, can have a substantial impact on these relationships.

While the long-term presence of the US at Manta Air Base in Ecuador and China’s operations in Argentina show continuity of security cooperation activities despite left-leaning and right-leaning political shifts in Latin America, these changes add complexity to the region’s geopolitics, influencing initiatives like TMPI...." -

https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/07/01/southcom-integrated-deterrence-tmpi/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLRi7FleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFBa2JxeTNMUmxxUWljOXlSAR5oqaazelMN5x37yB-fO-INDxmzxM3wlllky0ZICeUoIRdnlLI338-WNeIx9g_aem_vDkojAKi8sV9o_OYNqp3Xw