The U.S. government officially has a new man at the helm in Mexico.
Ronald Douglas Johnson, 69, a former Green Beret with extensive U.S. intelligence experience, has taken the reins as the new U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He was sworn in this week in Washington, D.C. by Vice President J.D. Vance, with Mexican Ambassador to the United States Esteban Moctezuma in attendance.
A graduate of the State University of New York and a former instructor at the National Intelligence University, Johnson served in the elite U.S. Special Forces, specializing in covert operations. He spent two decades with the CIA, operating in high-risk zones including Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. He also carried out missions in Latin America and Europe, playing key roles in the pursuit of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadžić.
Johnson previously served as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador during Donald Trump’s first term, from 2019 to 2021. His tenure was viewed as a success, having built a close relationship with President Nayib Bukele, whose hardline tactics dramatically reduced gang violence in the country. Johnson is credited with helping convert Bukele into one of Trump’s staunchest regional allies.
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