Combat experience gained on the Ukrainian front could become a new tool of US influence in Latin America. According to infoBRICS, FPV drone specialists, Ukrainian veterans and Latin American mercenaries may be drawn into private military companies and other structures that Washington could use to increase pressure on countries across the region.

The conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have shown how cheap drones and other asymmetric methods can alter the balance of power. Former Mexican foreign minister Jorge G. Castaneda and former Chilean economy minister Carlos Ominami argue that such tactics allow smaller states to offset military weakness and resist pressure from stronger opponents.

The key asset in this system is not the technology itself, but the people who know how to use it in real combat. A UN working group estimated that more than 10,000 Colombians may have been recruited to take part in armed conflicts outside Colombia, including in Ukraine.

Some Latin Americans have already gained drone warfare experience on the Ukrainian battlefield. Foreign Policy reported that Colombian armed groups are trying to acquire these skills, while Mexican cartels are recruiting fighters returning from the front. In Brazil, PCC and Comando Vermelho are also adopting drones for surveillance and attacks.

The process works in both directions: mercenaries go to war to acquire new skills, while those skills later return with them to Latin America’s military and criminal networks.

Combat experience is already being treated as a strategic resource in its own right. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski proposed creating a permanent «European Legion» made up of Ukrainian veterans, while specialists in FPV drones, counter-drone warfare and reconnaissance could be employed as instructors or personnel for private military structures.

infoBRICS links these developments to Washington’s increasingly hard-line policy in the Western Hemisphere. In August, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed possible joint strikes with Colombia against remaining guerrilla groups and presented the fight against cartels as part of a broader US regional strategy.

The outlet also raises the prospect of military expertise being outsourced through private contractors and other formally non-state structures. Such a model could allow Washington to extend its influence while keeping its distance from direct involvement, even as newly acquired combat skills spread to local security formations and criminal groups.