WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S.-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition will develop a multinational campaign plan by November targeting transnational drug networks, moving the alliance toward coordinated operations as Washington expands security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth led the coalition’s second forum in Panama last week, bringing together defense officials from 19 member nations while also participating in PANAMAX 2026, U.S. Southern Command’s multinational exercise focused on defending the Panama Canal.
Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said coalition members agreed to refine plans against priority criminal networks, assign national roles, establish working groups and develop benchmarks for assessing operations.
“Between now and November, we are going to write an A3C campaign plan,” Donovan stated. “We will staff it with our teammates and our members here in the room, and we’ll approve it by November.”
Donovan said several countries volunteered to lead efforts in particular regions or against specific networks, an indication that the coalition is beginning to establish an operational structure beyond its initial political commitments.
The Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, also called Shield of the Americas, was established in March by President Donald Trump as a U.S.-led security alliance targeting transnational drug cartels while addressing illegal migration and foreign geopolitical influence in the hemisphere.
Hegseth told participating defense officials that Washington expects the coalition to translate its commitments into concrete action against drug-trafficking organizations.
“When we say we will dismantle the cartels, we mean it,” Hegseth stated, adding that coalition members would need to take “sometimes risky steps, courageous steps” in pursuing that objective.
The forum included representatives from Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago, along with the United States.
Colombia joined the coalition as its newest member during the meetings. Hegseth also met Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora López, with the two countries signing an Access, Basing and Overflight agreement, according to the Department of War.
The department did not provide details on the locations, duration or operational scope covered by that agreement.
Hegseth separately met Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino to discuss security surrounding the Panama Canal and greater cooperation against drug-trafficking organizations in Central America.
He also met Jamaican Deputy Prime Minister Horace Chang, praising Jamaica’s participation in U.S. counter-drug operations and discussing additional cooperation.
The Panama meetings coincided with PANAMAX 2026, Southern Command’s principal multinational exercise centered on collective defense of the Panama Canal and surrounding region. Hegseth observed portions of the exercise Aug. 13 and met U.S. and partner-nation forces.
The coalition’s growing operational focus comes as the administration seeks to treat transnational cartels as a regional security threat requiring coordinated military, intelligence and law-enforcement pressure rather than relying solely on individual national counter-narcotics efforts.
Hegseth also visited U.S. personnel participating in the Combined Jungle Operations Training Course and met service members assigned to the Joint Security Cooperation Group–Panama before leaving the country.
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