Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Latin American allies Wednesday to join an expanding U.S.-led military campaign against drug cartels, telling a coalition meeting in Panama that members should take concrete, coordinated action against transnational trafficking networks.
Hegseth Unveils New Anti-Cartel Coalition Motto
“The new motto of the A3C is ‘We do bad things to bad people,’” Hegseth told the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. He said traffickers were about to meet a “new sheriff in town,” while urging members to deepen military cooperation.
President Donald Trump launched the Shield of the Americas initiative in March, with the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition serving as its military and security component. Washington deployed F-35 fighters to Puerto Rico last year as operations against designated narco-terrorist groups expanded.
Colombia Deepens Military Cooperation With Washington
Hegseth said Colombia’s new government had authorized “joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks.” Reuters reported on Wednesday that he also left open joint U.S.-Colombian strikes against groups Washington designates as terrorists. Colombia became the coalition’s 19th member this week after months of strained relations under former President Gustavo Petro.
U.S. Southern Command on Aug. 4 activated Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere to integrate intelligence, surveillance, planning and multinational coordination. Commander Gen. Francis Donovan said the unit would apply sustained pressure on criminal networks while strengthening cooperation with regional partners.
Legal Questions Shadow Expanding Cartel Campaign
More than 200 people have died since U.S. forces began striking suspected drug-smuggling boats last September, Reuters reported. Critics have questioned the attacks’ legality, while Hegseth insists the campaign complies with international humanitarian law. Congressional Democrats also raised potential legal questions over the strikes in June.
Mexico, meanwhile, continues to resist U.S. military operations on its soil. President Claudia Sheinbaum has emphasized sovereignty while maintaining security cooperation with Washington, a tension that came to the fore when Trump first escalated his anti-cartel strategy.
Hegseth pressed participating governments to move faster in the months ahead. “When we say we will dismantle the cartels, we mean it,” he said, pledging continued U.S. support for coalition operations across the hemisphere.
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