UNITED STATES MILITARY
Once again
the United States Military is on the brink of
widespread invasion of Central and South
America. The US has been fighting its drug war
against central and South America for nearly 50 years.
with the stakes escalating to actual war twice in the
90's. The new plague resistant "synthcoke", developed
after the US decimated the drug trade in the mid 90's,
is flooding the streets more rampantly than ever
before. The media fuels the rage against this, giving
the US military the
popular support it needs to once again re-enter the
war. In reality, the drug war is, and always has been,
an excuse for prolonged covert military action in
south America, keeping Americas interests, as well as
American revenue earned from both sides of the drug
trade, well in check.Retaliation for the Nuking of Manhattan also plays a large role in this inevitable
conflict. When the Colombians nuked
New York, it was crippling to the United States
economy, and was the first of a string of events that
led to the US pulling out of the first CentAm
Conflict. It was the rallying cry for the second South
Am war, when again, political and economic disater at
home forced the US to once again pull out.
The US military has NEVER
quite recovered from the tragedy of both the
unfulfilled mission of the last conflict, and the
tragedy of its departure, stranding so many of its
citizens behind.The Panama Canal is pivotal, and the primary excuse for this Third South American war. During the long walk, the Canal was seized by "Walkers", in particular a group of advanced recon soldiers and civilians contractors. They hold the Canal to this day, with full EDF backing. Though before the second war, the US had spent billions of dollars it couldn't afford on expanding the canal, the collapse forced them to not only withdraw support for the expansion,
but it also caused them
to lose control of the canal completely.
The United States NEEDS the Canal, and when the mercenary force controlling the canal (under influence from European interests) shut the canal down to all US bound ships, it forces the U.S. to act. This event, more than any other, is the cause of America declaring war on South America for the 3rd time. The war probalby wouldn't last long, except that the drug cartels of South and Central America have thrown their full weight into bolstering and
supporting the Mercs in
control of the Canal. The EDF also has covert advisors
working
with both groups, not only to further their own interests in the
region, but to have the added bonus of even more
humiliation an
d hardshid heaped on the
North Americans.The drug war, and the cartels support of the mercs in control of the Panama Canal once again cause the war to be fought all over south America.
The U.S. is in open conflict against South American forces in Panama, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuala. The chances are strong that Bolivia, Honduras, Northern Nicaragua and Atlantico (as
the US helps secure the
atlantican border against the North
Nicaraguans) are high.Unfortunately the European influence and involvement in the region may likely cause direct confrontation between the U.S. and the EDF. Direct conflict between the two superpowers is hoped to be avoided, but EDF advisors working with the mercs at the panama canal and region surrounding are bound to come
up against US forces eventually. The same
can be said for EDF advisors working with the cartels. These
advisors are mostly made up of Special forces teams,
training and providing intelligence to the
mercs and cartels, as well as intelligence and
strategy agents. Unlike in Africa, where
there ahs been a near total 
media blackout, there is
no way to keep the media out of South America, so if a
situation does erupt between the two superpowers, it
could very well escalate into a much
larger conflict. The Neo-Sovs and Chinese have
similiar presences in the region, and tensions are
running high.The most explosive situation (as far as U.S./EDF
relations are concerned) in the upcoming conflict is in the
seas around Drakes Passage. If the europeans use
the Falklands as a base of operations to set up a
blockade against U.S. bound vessels, it is highly
likely that it would lead to open conflict on the
high seas, the first true naval battles fought since
WW2. The likelyhood of this leading to full
scale war between the US and europe is
high, so the situation must be handled very very
carefully.
With American forces
stretched thin due to their continued deployment in
hostile areas of Africa, the military has begun a
tremendous recruitment campaign to bolster their number. Militech
and Lazarus have both been contracted to supplant and
suppport American Troops. 
Militech will issue their own equipment, but Lazarus
troops will be issued identical equipment
and uniforms to that of the
United States Military. In addition, prisons
are being culled for able bodied men, judges
sentencing convicts to the combat duty in the military and volunteers being given
reduced or sentences and even pardons upon the
completion of their military service. This
influx of hard core felons, including murderers,
rapists, drug dealers, gang members and other
scum, are yet one more explosive element added to a
powederkeg.
For more
information on the United States Armed Forces in
the world of Cyberpunk 2020, please see the
sourcebooks Home Of The Brave and Maximum Metal.
