Document Type
Report
Publication Date
9-2026
Abstract
DHS Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) tasked the NCITE Center, in support of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to develop a framework for understanding the forms and underlying processes through which Mexico-based drug cartels innovate and adapt tactically. This rapid review report identifies the processes, drivers, and constraints that shape tactical innovation within cartel ecosystems. The framework adapts and extends multilevel frameworks of tactical innovation established in the terrorism literature, most of which were developed through the study of traditional terrorist organizations whose ideological constraints, resource profiles, and internal structures often differ substantially from those of Mexican drug cartels.
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Recommended Citation
Boira-Lopez, Ares and Doctor, Austin C., "Drivers and Early Warning Indicators of Cartel Tactical Innovation" (2026). Reports, Projects, and Research. 176.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitereportsresearch/176
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