Overview
- Ecuador’s president and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured facilities in Manta and Salinas as part of a technical review of potential sites.
- Voters will decide on Nov. 16 whether to lift the 2008 constitutional ban on foreign military bases and troops.
- An Ecuadorian government spokeswoman said joint operations with U.S. security and defense agencies would follow at identified bases if the measure passes.
- Officials have not announced a formal agreement or timeline, and talks are set to continue after the vote.
- The push comes as Ecuador confronts record violence tied to organized crime, while surveys show divided public opinion over hosting foreign bases.