"Operations in the Amazon: The Peruvian Military’s Riverine Operations"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Irregular Warfare Initiative
20 May, 2026
This article is a Focus Area self-published piece, and the content has not undergone standard editorial review. IWI hosts these pieces to facilitate rapid dialogue among practitioners, but the analysis, research, and original thought within the article remain the sole responsibility of the author.
The United States military is in the middle of a hard pivot to focus on the Western Hemisphere, as codified by the recent publication of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, which identified securing U.S. interests “from the Arctic to South America” as critical to its lines of effort. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Operation Absolute Resolve was confirmation that the United States military will become more involved in South America. And if further evidence were needed, in January 2026, the Army redesignated the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade as the Army Security Cooperation Group – South, and it will take over the Combined Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama.
This increasing focus on operations in the Western Hemisphere will require closer integration with allies and partners in the region – as well as a better understanding of the region’s geography and how it shapes those allies and partners. This analysis will focus on the Peruvian military’s riverine operations, their importance, and their unique contributions to Amazonian military operations.
