Rear Admiral John Merlo León assumed command of the Ecuadorian Navy on August 21, 2022.
Previous to his appointment, Rear Adm. Merlo was commander of Naval Operations and head of the First Naval Zone in Guayaquil. He was additionally a naval advisor to the Ministry of Protection, head of the XVII Antarctic Expedition, Ecuador’s Protection attaché in Italy, and director of the Naval Postgraduate Faculty, amongst different high-ranking army positions.
Rear Adm. Merlo spoke with Diálogo about his challenges and the operations that contribute to the nationwide struggle towards narcotrafficking, amongst different subjects.
Diálogo: What’s your greatest problem?
Rear Admiral John Merlo León, commander of the Ecuadorian Navy: The largest problem as commander of the Navy is said to the complexity of at the moment’s world, the pace with which situations change, and the potential that army forces, on this case the naval power, will need to have to obviously perceive the ends to be achieved, the experience mandatory to determine the methods to achieve these ends, and the tactical capabilities indispensable to satisfy the mission. In brief, to mix ends, methods, and means in fragile situations, stuffed with uncertainty, non-linear, and incomprehensible.
Due to this fact, a part of this problem lies within the functions that the navy of a maritime nation like Ecuador ought to have, and consequently make the best effort to advertise our nation’s maritime imaginative and prescient. Ecuador should be understood geopolitically as a State that possesses in its territorial waters nice alternatives for its growth, for its progress, for the welfare of current and future generations. It’s due to this fact essential to consolidate substantial elements for the current and way forward for the nation akin to Ecuador’s Antarctic Coverage and the Nationwide Maritime Technique, which is able to contribute to strengthening the nationwide place within the worldwide enviornment, in addition to to articulate in an integral means maritime administration and to advance with clearly outlined targets towards the consolidation of Ecuador’s ocean politics imaginative and prescient.
Nevertheless, it should be taken under consideration that every one this wealth and alternatives that Ecuador has within the sea, is threatened by completely different parts, every with completely different traits, starting from environmental air pollution; unlawful unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) with the presence of international flag fleets lurking in our waters; to one of many greatest scourges that our nation faces in the mean time, narcotrafficking. This wide selection of parts types a system that should be analyzed and understood in its magnitude because it calls for an built-in and integral motion of all of the elements of the Ecuadorian State, and consequently, within the naval subject, to find out the easiest way to behave with items adequately outfitted and able to fulfill their mission.
Due to this fact, you will need to execute the tasks deliberate for the Navy and it is without doubt one of the targets of my administration, which begins with a considerable premise: The Ecuadorian Navy is one; collectively, floor items, submarines, naval aviation, marine infantry, coast guard, with our logistics, personnel, and academic assist our bodies represent the Nationwide Maritime Authority and we can be as much as what our maritime Ecuador wants.
On this sense, the administration of the Navy Basic Command is oriented towards three traces of motion:
– Institutional strengthening to effectively present the providers that residents count on from their Maritime Authority.
– Watch over the sources at sea by an Operational Drive with oceanic capability that ensures sovereignty, integrity, and safety within the aquatic areas.
– Promote the strengthening of our nation’s maritime imaginative and prescient by built-in maritime administration instruments, such because the Nationwide Maritime Technique.
These traces of motion are sustained transversally by a vital aspect for the event and way forward for our Navy: the strengthening of institutional values, akin to honor, self-discipline, loyalty, and honesty.
Diálogo: The Ecuadorian Navy’s operations contribute to the nationwide struggle towards narcotrafficking. What sort of mixed and joint operations do you perform to realize success?
Rear Adm. Merlo: The Ecuadorian Navy doctrinally classifies maritime operations into naval operations, maritime safety, and safety operations, operations in assist of State motion, and worldwide cooperation operations.
In relation to this query, maritime safety and safety operations are carried out throughout the scope of the Maritime Authority and fulfilling the function of Maritime Police, below the attributions of the Coastal State, Flag and Port Authority, granted by each worldwide conventions and nationwide legal guidelines, particularly the Natural Regulation of Navigation, Administration of Maritime and River Security, and Safety of Aquatic Areas.
One of many functions of this kind of operations is the neutralization and struggle towards illicit actions, akin to IUU, smuggling of products and hydrocarbons, illicit trafficking of migrants, widespread crime, terrorism, extraction of underwater heritage, and unlawful exploitation of marine sources. The latter is without doubt one of the major threats towards the safety and safety of Ecuador and towards which the information on the variety of captures made reveal the magnitude of the work carried out and the effectivity of our operations.
Inside the framework of regional cooperation within the struggle towards narcotrafficking, the Ecuadorian Navy participates yearly in [the Colombian Navy-led] mixed multinational operation Orión, wherein data is exchanged and alerts are obtained with intelligence to apprehend vessels transporting managed substances inside our maritime jurisdictional areas. This operation contains the participation of the Nationwide Police and the Lawyer Basic’s Workplace, because it seeks to behave each on land and at sea and to have judicial assist within the prosecution processes.
Likewise, as a part of the binational cooperation with the USA within the struggle towards narcotrafficking, throughout 2022 a mixed operation dubbed Octopus [Pulpo] was launched, aimed toward growing permanence at sea, inflicting shock impact on vessels concerned in narcotrafficking, enhancing logistics assist, along with profiting from surveillance capabilities by radars, long-range drones, and liaison with naval exploration plane, each nationwide and international. As well as, PASSEX operations have been carried out with U.S. Coast Guard vessels, exchanging data and data, in addition to coaching in procedures for visits and inspections.
Diálogo: One of many Navy’s missions is to counter unlawful fishing. What progress are you making within the struggle towards this scourge?
Rear Adm. Merlo: On the excessive seas, in areas near the Ecuadorian insular unique financial zone (EEZ), a fleet of foreign-flagged ships that perform fishing actions is current periodically. This fleet is made up of some 300 vessels, amongst them industrial fishing boats, reefer-type manufacturing facility ships for processing and storing fish, and tankers for refueling.
The Ecuadorian Navy completely displays and controls this fleet. When the fleet is as much as a distance of about 300 nautical miles from Ecuador’s EEZ, we use numerous satellite tv for pc monitoring and referencing programs, akin to CLS, Sea Imaginative and prescient, Skylight, and Darkish Vessel Detection to acquire data on the vessels place, trajectories, to get satellite tv for pc photos on request, satellite tv for pc radar data, detect vessels that flip off their computerized identification system (AIS) gadgets, and analyze suspicious habits.
When by this fixed monitoring it’s decided that these ships are approaching between 300 and 100 miles exterior the EEZ, naval items together with air and naval exploration items, are deployed to behave straight on the menace.
It is very important level out that we act towards this menace in coordination with the Overseas Ministry, a lot so {that a} buffer zone of 100 miles has been agreed in conferences between the Overseas ministries of Ecuador and China, in order that when there are ships of that flag, they don’t cross these limits.
Within the occasion {that a} vessel is detected coming into the EEZ, we feature out inspection procedures and the vessel is apprehended, for which the capabilities of each personnel and belongings are continually being improved with a view to perform the respective prosecution, as was the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 vessel in 2017.
In 2018, Ecuador launched on the regional degree a proposal for the multinational train known as GALAPEX, which goals to enhance interoperability between navies of the area to fight unlawful actions in jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional waters, akin to organized crime, narcotrafficking and associated crimes, IUU fishing, and marine air pollution, along with offering humanitarian help to the nations of the area, in order to contribute to regional governance and the safety of widespread maritime pursuits. This proposal was materialized in 2019, by digital workout routines with a number of taking part nations. Through the XXX Inter-American Naval Convention of 2022 in Lima, Peru, the Ecuadorian Navy proposed to taking part nations to hold out this train periodically, which was accepted for its future execution.
Diálogo: How does the reincorporation of the coast guard vessel Isla Floreana assist in the struggle towards illicit actions?
Rear Adm. Merlo: The unit was handed over to the Coast Guard Command by the Logistics Basic Directorate on June 10, 2022, and as of that date it has carried out numerous maritime safety and safety operations, each in continental and insular jurisdictional waters, and now we have intensified patrols in sectors the place there have been excessive charges of prison actions, amongst them theft of outboard motors, contamination of service provider ships, and assaults on vessels.
To hold out these operations, the Coast Guard Command has made an operational design for the unit to be current and guard fishing areas, service provider visitors, and coastal navigation, at completely different occasions and sectors, finishing up statutory inspections to regulate and confirm compliance with navigation security laws and establish vessels suspected of conducting unlawful actions.
The unit has additionally participated in search and rescue (SAR) operations in continental and insular waters in response to studies of lacking artisanal fishing vessels, individuals at sea, and maritime accidents with constructive outcomes. Likewise, the unit has carried out SAR workout routines with simulated evacuation of injured individuals with Ecuadorian Navy helicopters.
At current, it carries out operations particularly within the insular area to counter narcotrafficking, forestall and neutralize IUU fishing, perform surveillance and management throughout the Galápagos Marine Reserve, and take part in SAR operations.
Diálogo: What are some advances of the Naval Aviation Command for the success of naval operations?
Rear Adm. Merlo: Naval Aviation is a pillar of the operational scheme for naval operations. The coordinated work of all air and naval exploration means to offer a transparent tactical and operational panorama has been and is crucial for the success of operations, for which rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and unmanned aerial automobile (UAV) items work in a completely coordinated method.
The Ecuadorian Navy is one and collectively Naval Aviation, Floor Units, Submarine Units, Marines, and Coast Guard kind a strong system that acts and can at all times act to guard and supply safety to our maritime pursuits.
Diálogo: What sort of operations are being carried out on the rivers bordering Colombia and Peru to confront prison organizations?
Rear Adm. Merlo: On this regard, it’s essential to level out that the Navy ensures the success of operations to confront these threats by an operational scheme that, primarily based on an evaluation considering house, power, and time, directs its efforts to satisfy its mission. On this context, along with floor, submarine, naval aviation, and coast guard items, the Marines play an essential function as a part of the operational maneuver, highlighting their professionalism in finishing up riverine operations and particular operations with passable outcomes.
In border rivers, maritime safety and safety operations are carried out with the means assigned to Port Captaincies and Naval Checkpoints, i.e., with shallow draft speedboats. These operations embody river patrols to hold out inspections and statutory controls of all vessels navigating the border rivers. Likewise, inspections of vessels and cargo are carried out upon arrival and departure. All that is supported by operational intelligence to neutralize illicit actions akin to narcotrafficking, oil smuggling, arms smuggling, and customary crime.
Moreover, and particularly, within the southern sector, oblique safety is supplied to vessels within the shrimp, fishing, and service provider sectors by the “Secure Routes” system, which consists of river patrols of the canals throughout these vessels’ transit occasions.
Diálogo: How do you collaborate with different navies within the area and with the U.S. to strengthen your capabilities?
Rear Adm. Merlo: The Ecuadorian Navy participates yearly within the Assembly of Regional Northern and Southern Border Instructions, the place the border state of affairs of every nation is analyzed and we set up understandings, particularly to change data and intelligence on widespread threats, in addition to to coordinate and cooperate within the face of maritime emergencies, among the many commanders of Naval Units, Port Captaincies, and River Management Posts deployed on the widespread border.
The Ecuadorian Navy additionally collaborates with different navies within the area by agreements and memorandums of understanding for cooperation within the struggle towards transnational crimes, change of vessel data, investigation of maritime accidents, Port State inspections, marine atmosphere preservation operations, human sources coaching, cooperation within the struggle towards IUU fishing, and assist with applied sciences utilized to maritime visitors surveillance.
As talked about above, throughout the maritime safety and safety operations, we feature out mixed PASSEX sort operations, particularly with U.S. Coast Guard vessels, throughout the jurisdictional maritime areas, wherein the capabilities of every of the taking part means are mixed, particularly in maritime surveillance, data change, coaching, and coaching of the crews.
An settlement is in impact for cooperative air and naval surveillance of vessels engaged in narcotrafficking and associated illicit maritime actions, which consists of finishing up operations with floor and coast guard means, in addition to with U.S. authorities plane, wherein army personnel from the Ecuadorian Navy and Nationwide Police are embarked, with a view to detect vessels engaged in illicit actions and proceed to their apprehension.
Diálogo: On the Navy’s Twitter account, it says: “Preserve knowledgeable by official accounts, pretend information ends in disinformation!” What actions are you taking to strengthen capabilities in data operations to counter disinformation and faux information?
Rear Adm. Merlo: The Ecuadorian Navy completely displays completely different sources of data, amongst them social networks, to find out the existence of this kind of pretend information aimed toward disinformation.
The evaluation of this data permits us to outline the corresponding response primarily based on completely different variables which are analyzed as a part of the prevailing doctrine with a view to get rid of or scale back the consequences of those messages.
Moreover, contemplating the dynamics of this kind of conditions, the Ecuadorian Navy is dedicated to strengthen its response capabilities by the coaching of its personnel in data operations, the corresponding doctrinal overview, and consequently the reorganization of its construction to behave adequately and successfully.
Our establishment, the noble Ecuadorian Navy, at all times navigates the course, having as a guiding mild service to our residents, updating its procedures, guaranteeing on daily basis that its capabilities are improved with firmness, transparency, braveness, and honor to satisfy our mission.
