Dealing with Mexican drug gangs would/should make beautiful training exercises for SEALS and other Special forces..
DoD does not want the mission. When stationed in HI, there was talk of using Marine assets to patrol the hills for pot growers. The Marines said no thanks due to public relations aspects and safety of troops. Those pot growers were using claymores and M-60s to secure their fields. Nothing like sending a Marine home in a box due to stepping into the wrong grid square in HI. Pot growers are a paranoid and dangerous group of people. If you find yourself in a field, get out and go away fast.
I guess the practice of claiming territory by the right of conquest is alive and well.
I also thought (mistakenly, obviously) that the whole purpose of DoD was to defend the country. However the leaders of this country apparently believe that when armed militants hole up on US territory and defend their position and kill US citizens, it's nothing unusual and not a crime at all.
And nice to see that the democracy found its way into DoD, so now soldiers get to vote on what missions to accept or refuse. It's not like they have commanders... well, maybe they indeed don't have one, after all.