U.S. Congress Urges Ecuador's Major Non-NATO Ally Designation

Representative María Elvira Salazar and four Republican colleagues—Carlos Giménez, Carol Miller, Vern Buchanan and Greg Steube—sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 5 August 2026 requesting that the State Department designate Ecuador as a Major Non‑NATO Ally (MNNA). The lawmakers argue that Ecuador sits on the front lines of transnational drug trafficking, noting that roughly 70 % of cocaine bound for the United States and Europe passes through its coastal ports. They contend that MNNA status would expand U.S. military financing, training, equipment and counter‑terrorism cooperation, strengthening Ecuador’s ability to combat organized crime. The designation does not make Ecuador a NATO member but would deepen bilateral defense collaboration. “Un Ecuador fuerte debilita redes criminales transnacionales,” the letter states.