Hegseth touts America’s counter-cartel coalition on Panama visit

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used a visit to Panama to underscore U.S. resolve to work with the recently formed Americas Counter Cartel Coalition to take apart transnational criminal drug cartels. “I’m grateful to be here with ministers and chiefs of defense, united in purpose and resolve, as partners in the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” Hegseth said. “Just a few months ago, we laid out a shared vision for a safe, secure Western Hemisphere, where borders and laws are respected, and narco-terrorists are brought to swift and absolute justice.”

The coalition, launched in March by President Donald J. Trump and also known as “Shield of the Americas,” is a U.S.-led multinational security and political alliance focused on combating drug cartels, reducing illegal migration across the Western Hemisphere and limiting foreign geopolitical interference.

Over two days in Panama, representatives from 19 partner nations held coalition-wide discussions. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said members share a common understanding of the threat posed by criminal networks operating in the region. “Coalition campaigning creates systemic friction on these networks,” he said. “Our strength is in our complementary capabilities. Persistence and unity will drive scale and will drive victory.”

Donovan said the group agreed on next steps that include refining priority network campaign plans, assigning roles and lead nations, forming working groups with defined objectives and milestones, and initiating coalition campaign assessments. “Between now and November, we are going to write an A3C campaign plan,” he said. “We will staff it with our teammates and our members here in the room, and we’ll approve it by November.”

Countries are volunteering to take on leadership roles where they have particular interest or expertise, Donovan added. “Yesterday, by the end of our session, we went out and made the initial pulse … who wants to lead in different regions? Who wants to lead to … go after these networks?” Donovan said. “We had volunteers right away, nations that wanted to step forward and take [the] lead in subregions and go after certain threats.”

Hegseth emphasized the U.S. commitment to the effort. “When we say we will dismantle the cartels, we mean it, and I know the nations of this coalition feel the exact same way … and will take concrete steps — sometimes risky steps, courageous steps — in partnership.” He added that people across the hemisphere expect tangible progress. “We believe there’s no time to waste and no better time than right now,” he said. “We will be with you, I pledge to you, from the White House to the Pentagon, shoulder to shoulder, every step of the way.” He also said, “I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting our ability to find, fix and finish narco-terrorist targets,” he said.

As head of the coalition, Hegseth announced an update to the group’s identity. “The new motto of the A3C is ‘We do bad things to bad people,'” he said. “That’s the mentality I want to have inside this room. … We’re dealing with bad people that have done a lot of bad things to a lot of good people, for a very long time. And they’re about to meet a new sheriff in town in the A3C. And we mean business. Narco-terrorists … drug traffickers are hereby on notice. Under President Trump, we will make the Americas great again. The safety and prosperity of one will strengthen the safety and prosperity of all.”

During the meetings in Panama City, Colombia joined the coalition. Hegseth met with Colombian military leaders, including Minister of National Defense Jorge Mora, and took part in a signing event in which he and U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno posed with signed copies of the agreement bringing Colombia into the A3C.

While in Panama, Hegseth met with President José Raúl Mulino and plans to meet with U.S. service members at the Jungle Operations Training Course and observe Panamax training events.