Beata Wojna

Cresencio Sandoval visited Comando Norte in May

I had access to the emails and leaks released by the Guacamaya hacktivists containing key information from the Secretariat of National Defense.

I had access to the emails and leaks released by the Guacamaya hacktivists containing key information from the Secretary of National Defense. Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, Secretary of National Defense, maintains close communication with General Glen D. VanHerck, Commander of the U.S. Northern Command, whom he visited just five months ago in Colorado together with his wife Yolanda, according to a thank you letter sent by VanHerck himself to the Secretary, in which he reveals the visit and where he underlines the "solid professional and personal relationship between the Northern Command and SEDENA".

The visit of the Secretary General to Colorado took place only a few weeks after General VanHerck declared in the U.S. Senate, on March 24, that the largest concentration of Russian espionage agents in the world, attached to the GRU agency, is in Mexico, which raised all the alarms of the national public debate since that date. It is to be presumed that the discussions of both characters in May during the meeting in Colorado may have included this very sensitive issue.

In this context, one of the most intriguing phrases in the letter that I found, and which to some extent betrays the intelligence exercised by the Northern Command in Mexican territory, is when VanHerck writes that the U.S. Defense Attaché in Mexico will provide Sandoval with "the list of names in the near future", to which he adds: "I agree that information of this magnitude is critical for each of us as partners to expand our common understanding of the threats to our countries". What names is VanHerck referring to? We don't know.

Is it a list of Russian GRU agents operating on Mexican soil, as VanHerck revealed a few weeks before the Secretary visited him in Colorado? Perhaps, but such a claim would be speculative. What is a fact is that VanHerck said that there are Russian agents in Mexico, that a few weeks later he met privately with Gen. Cresencio Sandoval and that he undertook to send a list of names (we do not know of what nature) through the Defense Attaché. It is also true that in the letter he speaks of "threats to our countries".

On the other hand, it is worth noting the assessment that the U.S. general made in his letter of the meeting between the two of them: "I appreciate the frank dialogue we had during your visit. Although sometimes partners disagree, we will always strive to be open with each other. I listened to your concerns and I am personally following the evolution of the issues we discussed." Among these issues, in addition to "the list of names," Sandoval's concern about "rotary wing aircraft" is mentioned, without further specification.

This visit by the Secretary General was not advertised, announced or disclosed by the Secretary of National Defense. In fact, the exact date of the generals' meeting is unknown, but VanHerck's letter of thanks for Sandoval's visit is dated May 31. In the Guacamaya hacktivists' leaks, there are other emails that make one wonder how this meeting could have taken place, because in an email dated May 13, the Liaison Office at the Northern Command of the Sedena sent information to several Gmail and Sedena accounts revealing a visit of the National Defense College (Codenal) to the Northern Command.

That email revealed the proposed program between Codenal and the Northern Command, the biographies of the Northern Command personnel who would give the lectures to Codenal, and even the menu of food that would be offered by the Americans to the Mexicans, including also a baseball game that the Mexicans would witness on May 21. Although this e-mail prior to the Codenal's visit to the Northern Command does not mention the Secretary General, it cannot be ruled out that the meeting between Cresencio Sandoval and Glen D. Van Herck took place within the framework of this institutional meeting.

VanHerck's letter also reveals that he will be informing Gen. Cresencio Sandoval about issues of concern to both of them "through official correspondence or during our scheduled calls."

It is undoubtedly good news that communication between Sedena and the Northern Command is so close. And it is to such a degree that everything indicates that both countries are clear about the external threats that loom daily over the binational region as a whole. However, the two sides avoid disclosing the meetings and the cooperation that actually exists between them. On the one hand, we should not be surprised by this strategy, given the sometimes very sensitive issues involved. But on the other hand, as the Mexican military is having more presence in civilian spaces, as we are observing since the beginning of this administration, we will be hearing more and more demands for transparency on all activities carried out by the Mexican military.