National Defense Secretary (Sedena) Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda noted that the Mexican Army’s assistance in matters of public security throughout the country has lead to general “wear.” However, he said that the forces are doing the best they can to serve the needs of the Mexican public.
While celebrating 100 years of military service at Anáhuac University, Cienfuegos Zepeda said that the Mexican Army’s current weakening is a product of their security efforts over the last few years.
“Clearly there is wear because we have spread ourselves out across the country and we are a proportionally small army.”
Despite the military’s limitations, Cienfuegos Zepeda noted that the mood among military forces remains “fine,” but the army continues to perform a lot of extra tasks.
He added that if the nation wants to rely on the army in this way, they must add more personnel and have a legal framework that supports their activities.
At the same time, Cienfuegos Zepeda presented the “National Defense of the Mexican State” seminar. In it, Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE) Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights Miguel Ruíz Cabañas stated that the “war” on drugs had “failed.”
Ruíz Cabañas explained that drug trafficking could not be fought in a “war” based solely on prohibition and prosecution of offenders. He said the efforts needed to be accompanied by prevention plans, education, and treatment programs.
