The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces

The Global War on Terror (GWOT) refers to the worldwide military and political campaign launched by the United States and its allies following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It was conceived as an open-ended struggle against transnational terrorism, aimed primarily at al-Qaeda. Over time, however, it expanded into a sprawling series of wars, occupations, covert operations, and counterinsurgency efforts across the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. The GWOT fundamentally reshaped US military institutions, especially the special operations community centered at Fort Bragg. It created the operational, psychological, and moral landscape described in The Fort Bragg Cartel.

The campaign began under President George W. Bush, who framed the attacks on New York and Washington as acts of war rather than crimes. The administration’s response combined retributive force and preventive intervention, embodied in the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. The stated goal was to destroy al-Qaeda’s sanctuary and topple the Taliban regime that had harbored it. The operation quickly succeeded in dispersing the Taliban but failed to achieve lasting stability. The US military soon found itself engaged in an indefinite occupation of Afghanistan, supporting a fragile and corrupt client state that relied heavily on foreign money and military protection.