U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Mexican Navy hold 10th Maritime Staff Talks, adding amphibious cooperation to the agenda

Senior officers of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and the Mexican Navy, known as Marina, wrapped up their 10th Annual Maritime Staff Talks in Mexico City on 21 October, after two days of meetings that began on 20 October. According to the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, which published the account on 22 October, the forum was hosted by Marina and also brought in U.S. Marine Corps Forces Northern Command alongside U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command.

The U.S. side describes the change as turning the meeting into “a comprehensive naval and amphibious security dialogue”. The talks ended with the signing of official minutes that set the objectives for the coming year.

What was on the agenda

The statement lists three priorities: improving shared maritime domain awareness through long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and space-based assets; developing counter-UAS defences, meaning measures against small drones; and advancing amphibious interoperability, the ability of naval and marine units to plan and operate together from sea to shore. It gives no details of specific systems, exercises or deployments, and it does not say what Mexico has agreed to provide or buy.

Adm. Karl Thomas, who commands U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command, said the partnership with Mexico “is built on trust and is a cornerstone of security and stability in the Western Hemisphere”. Lt. Gen. Calvert Worth Jr., commander of U.S. Marine Forces Northern Command, called the inclusion of the amphibious mission “a significant step forward”.

The U.S. ambassador’s framing

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said that “under President Trump’s leadership, the United States and Mexico are taking a decade of military cooperation to the next level”. He added that the talks strengthen the two countries’ ability to work together across maritime, air and other security domains, including intelligence sharing and the response to what he called emerging threats from criminal and terrorist organisations. That description comes from the U.S. side; the account published by Washington does not include a separate Mexican statement.

Context

The meeting fits a wider U.S. emphasis on its own hemisphere. In the past week Washington has also announced an enhanced defence partnership with Guyana, covered in Hegseth and Guyana’s President Ali sign enhanced defence partnership at the Pentagon. Counter-drone work, which features in the Mexico agenda, is also a growing training priority inside the U.S. forces, as described in Pennsylvania Guard trainers say counter-drone skills now dominate demand from U.S. units.

U.S. Fleet Forces Command describes itself as the organisation that mans, trains and equips combat-ready naval forces for worldwide deployment, while Marine Forces Northern Command provides expeditionary capabilities to naval and joint force commanders and has a homeland and continental role. The U.S. statement says the defence relationship with Mexico “remains robust and essential to promoting stability throughout the Western Hemisphere”. No date has been given for the next round of talks.