On 24 October 2023, Dr. Robert J. Bunker, Director of Research and Analysis, C/O Futures participated in a virtual private roundtable on “Mexico’s Armed Forces in 2024 and Beyond.” It was conducted by the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Washington, DC. The conversation was well attended and operated under "Chatham House Rule."
Dr. Bunker is a leading subject matter expert on Mexican transnational criminal groups (cartels and gangs) with years of research and publication on the subject. He has trained US law enforcement, military, and other governmental personnel on these groups and the threat that they represent to US homeland security. He is a Senior Fellow with Small Wars Journal-El Centro (https://smallwarsjournal.com/index.php/elcentro/fellows) and has numerous books (as co-author, editor, and co-editor) on this subject matter. Recent works related to the roundtable he has been involved in include:
CJNG Improvised Armored Fighting Vehicles (IAFVs) with M134 Minigun Main Armament
I&W Concerning Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) Counter-Drone (CUAS) Capabilities
CJNG Improvised Anti-Vehicle Mine (IAVM) Destroys Mexican Army Vehicle in Minefield Near Apatzingán
https://www.cofutures.net/post/cjng-improvised-anti-vehicle-mine-iavm-destroys-mexican-army-vehicle-in-minefield-near-apatzingán
For activities of the CSIS Americas Program see https://www.csis.org/programs/americas-program
For a recent CSIS work specifically on this subject matter see:
The Political Implications of Mexico’s New Militarism
Commentary by Ryan C. Berg and Emiliano Polo
5 September 2023