United States Navy SEALs arrived at the Yucatán Peninsula in February 2026 for a two-month training mission designed to bolster regional security and operational compatibility with the Mexican military. The 19 SEALs arrived at the invitation of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican Senate, which must authorize any foreign military force. During a February 11 news conference, Sheinbaum said the SEALs mission is part of ongoing military collaboration between neighbors. “They are part of exercises that have been carried out for a long time; it is not something new, in particular,” she said.
SEAL Team 2 landed in Campeche, Mexico, aboard a U.S. Air Force Hercules 130 transport plane on February 15 and is scheduled to remain at the Luis Carpizo naval facility in the state of Campeche through April 16, according to Border Report, a U.S. news site focused on the Mexico-U.S. border. The Enhancing Special Operations Forces Capability exercise is designed to strengthen individual and collective tactical skills, according to San Diego Red, a U.S. news blog. Sailors from Mexico’s Naval Special Operations Unit and SEAL Team 2 will train together to enhance coordination for special operations. The training will cover specialized tactics, amphibious maneuvers and counterterrorism simulations, reported the Yucatán Times, a Mexican newspaper.
The mission was approved by the Mexican Senate by a 114-0 vote with one abstention, reported the Yucatán Times. Lawmakers emphasized that the SEALs mission would not violate Mexican sovereignty, a key requirement of Mexican cooperation on regional security issues. Sheinbaum said that U.S. special forces conducted training in Mexico last year when U.S. Army Green Berets spent a month training in Campeche with their Mexican counterparts on conventional and non-conventional tactics, according to Border Report.
The training will take place at the Mexican Marine Infantry’s Specialized Training Center in San Luis Carpizo, as well as at the Naval Sector in Ciudad del Carmen, the blog reported. The Yucatán Peninsula, with its proximity to the U.S. and the Caribbean region, is a strategically important area for countering transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs.
Sheinbaum repeatedly voiced a desire to collaborate with the U.S. on combating TCOs in Mexico. Her administration aggressively confronted Mexican TCOs around the country with Army Soldiers and National Guardsmen undertaking weekly operations to destroy drug labs, confiscate weapons and narcotics, and make arrests. Sheinbaum also has facilitated the extradition of dozens of high-ranking TCO leaders to face prosecution in the U.S.
At the time of the 2025 Green Beret deployment, which lasted six weeks and included 10 members of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command Commander Gregory M. Guillot told members of Congress that forging closer ties with Mexican special forces would benefit counter-TCO operations. “Building our partners’ ability to operate with U.S. forces has led directly to improved regional domain awareness, information sharing, and cooperation against shared security challenges, especially given the efforts of peer competitors to gain influence with the United States’ nearest neighbors,” Guillot said in February 2025 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “USNORTHCOM’s dedicated efforts to support our partners’ defense requirements over the years have played an important role in maintaining the United States as the clear partner of choice while simultaneously improving our partners’ capability and capacity for addressing internal security challenges. USNORTHCOM remains committed to these essential relationships.”