Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa announced this morning the possible installation of a foreign military base, under United States control, in the Galapagos Islands, precisely as the U.S. strengthens its anti-drug offensive along the Pacific coast.
This possibility depends on the referendum that the government has called for next November, in which citizens will decide whether or not to allow the installation of foreign military bases in the country — a constitutional change that would open the door to a foreign presence on Ecuadorian soil.
It is worth remembering that since 2008, the Constitution explicitly prohibits the presence of foreign military bases in Ecuadorian territory, following the amendments introduced by the government of then-President Rafael Correa.
Ecuador plans to host a US military base in the Galapagos Islands to fight drug trafficking
The possible location of a U.S. military base in the Galapagos — possibly on Baltra Island — is not arbitrary: This unique archipelago lies about 1,000 kilometers from Ecuador’s continental coast. Its position in the eastern Pacific gives it strategic value for maritime and aerial surveillance operations, especially in monitoring illegal flows across that vast oceanic zone.
From there, naval forces could monitor a wide area through which not only legal vessels but also speedboats used for drug trafficking and ships dedicated to illegal fishing or fuel smuggling pass. In fact, less than 24 hours ago, U.S. military forces caused 14 deaths in operations against alleged drug-smuggling boats further north, along the same Eastern Pacific route, where a total of four vessels were destroyed.
Maritime security experts have warned that, over the past decade, the maritime corridor between Ecuador and Central America has become one of the main routes for cocaine leaving South America. Seizures carried out by the Ecuadorian Navy around the archipelago have multiplied: In 2023 alone, nearly 25 tons of drugs were confiscated in the area — a significant increase compared to the previous year.
This reality fuels the official argument that the Galapagos need military infrastructure capable of monitoring maritime and aerial space, in cooperation with allied powers. Noboa has suggested that the base would serve as a “control platform” for joint surveillance operations, without the deployment of permanent troops or offensive weaponry.
Washington, for its part, has not officially confirmed the project, but diplomatic sources have indicated that strengthening anti-narcotics cooperation with Ecuador is a “priority” within its hemispheric agenda.
The official argument of Daniel Noboa’s government for proposing the installation of this military base is twofold: On one hand, to reinforce national security and international cooperation in the fight against organized crime; on the other, to ensure that such a presence remains under Ecuadorian state supervision and does not imply a loss of sovereignty.
Sovereignty and environmental concerns in Ecuador
The main obstacle to the proposal lies in the Constitution itself. Following the reform promoted by Rafael Correa in 2008, Ecuador banned any form of foreign military presence as a reaction to the experience of the U.S. base in Manta, which operated for nearly a decade for anti-drug purposes. That installation was dismantled in 2009, in an act that the government at the time celebrated as a symbol of recovering national sovereignty.
For many political and social sectors, Noboa’s project represents a historical setback. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities, several environmental movements, and part of the parliamentary opposition have warned that opening the door to a foreign base — even under the label of “cooperation” — poses a risk of losing autonomy. “There is no military presence without a transfer of control,” said leaders who recall the Manta experience as an example of strategic subordination to Washington.
The president, however, insists that the referendum will ensure the decision rests with the people. According to the government, any future agreement would establish strict limits and keep the Ecuadorian state as the sole authority over the territory. The base, they affirm, would not be a U.S. enclave but a joint operations center within the framework of the fight against organized crime.
Beyond the political and geopolitical debate, the project raises deep concern among scientists and conservationists. The Galapagos are a natural World Heritage site, a unique biological laboratory on the planet. The possible installation of a military base on Baltra Island — one of the sites considered by the government — revives fears of environmental impacts that could alter a fragile and protected ecosystem.
During World War II, the United States already operated an air base in Baltra to protect the Panama Canal. Decades later, the effects of that presence are still remembered: Pollution, the introduction of invasive species, and habitat alteration.
Experts fear that a similar scenario could occur again, even if the new installation promises modern environmental standards. “There is no guarantee that such infrastructure would leave no trace in such a delicate environment,” warns a researcher from the Galapagos National Park.
An Ecuadorian decision with continental resonance
The Nov. 16 referendum will not only determine the fate of the project in the Galapagos but also reflect Ecuador’s political direction in its relations with the United States and the region. For some analysts, the referendum is also a test of Noboa’s leadership, as he seeks to consolidate an image of pragmatism in the face of the internal security crisis.
In a country where criminal gangs challenge state authority, the promise of international military support may be appealing to a population exhausted by violence.
However, the decision carries a paradox. Ecuador presents itself to the world as a model of environmental conservation and territorial sovereignty — and the Galapagos are the emblem of that identity. Turning them into a site for military operations, even under a cooperation narrative, poses a dilemma between the need for security and the preservation of the archipelago’s symbolic and natural character.
The outcome of the referendum will have repercussions beyond Ecuador’s borders. If the “yes” vote wins, it would set a regional precedent amid a context of increasing militarization of the anti-drug fight. If the “no” prevails, the country will maintain its tradition of neutrality and autonomy — but with the challenge of facing alone a transnational threat that recognizes no borders.
In any case, the Galapagos Islands once again stand at the center of a dispute between geography and politics — between the urgency of controlling drug trafficking and the duty to protect one of the planet’s last natural paradises.
What Ecuadorians decide on Nov. 16 will determine not only the future of their defense policy but also the deeper meaning of their sovereignty in a world where security and the environment can no longer be separated.