Officials Provide Progress Update on Major Operation 1 Year After its Launch

Sept. 2, 2026 | By Matthew Olay, Pentagon News |

U.S. officials spoke to the media yesterday regarding the progress of Operation Southern Spear — the large-scale U.S. military and counter-narco-terrorism campaign in the Western Hemisphere — one year after the operation launched in September 2025, saying the mission has been largely successful thus far.

Of note, one official said U.S. Southern Command's counternarcotics operations over the past year have driven record reductions in illicit maritime activity, with a 65% reduction in the Western Caribbean, a 60% reduction in the Eastern Caribbean and a nearly 50% reduction in key areas of the Eastern Pacific.

The official said President Donald J. Trump made a promise to the American people one year ago to secure the U.S., defend its sovereignty and "take the fight to the cartels and narco-terrorists who have poisoned our communities for far too long."

"Under Secretary [of War Pete] Hegseth, the Department of War is delivering on that promise and — in the Western Hemisphere specifically — the results are simply undeniable," the official said. 

The War Department's most recent quarterly report to Congress on Operation Southern Spear, which covers the period from April1 to June 30 of this year, states that the U.S. military conducted airstrikes on 19 vessels suspected of being affiliated with designated terrorist organizations, with approximately 56 individuals killed or presumed dead.
The previous quarter saw 12 vessels struck, killing 40 suspected narco-terrorists, according to the report. 

Regarding the Trump administration's designation of multiple drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere as foreign terrorist organizations, which gives the U.S. military the authority to treat them under the same rules of engagement as foreign terrorist organizations in other parts of the world; one of the U.S. officials told the media the cartels are indeed comparable to long-established foreign terrorist organizations.

"The foreign terrorist organizations that operate in Mexico and across the Western Hemisphere are responsible for more American deaths than any other adversary that we have faced in recent memory," the official said.

The official added that it's not just the spread of the highly lethal drug fentanyl that is contributing to American deaths, but also the exportation of violence to U.S. communities.

"The gang structure in the United States is downstream of the cartel threat in the Western Hemisphere, so the evidence conclusively proves that the violence in our streets — the gangland killings, the assassinations, the bloodshed … the extortion [and] the armed robbery — are all part and parcel of this vast, sophisticated network of foreign terrorist organizations that operate in the Western Hemisphere, for which the United States is the primary target," the official said.

In addition to the vessel strikes listed in the recent report on Southern Spear, the document also states that, during last quarter, eight U.S. Navy and Marine Corps vessels, a P-8 patrol and reconnaissance aircraft squadron and the Marine Corps' 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit were deployed in support of the operation.

The document also notes that, in late June, three of those vessels were redeployed to support humanitarian relief operations following the earthquakes in Venezuela.

When asked what the future end state, or mission accomplishment for Operation Southern Spear would look like — as well as how long the Trump administration and War Department are prepared to continue the endeavor, one of the officials said victory would involve U.S. partner nations throughout the Western Hemisphere being in control of their own governments.

"Our job is not acting in defense of those countries for their own sake — though they are our partners and we help them — but in the defense of the United States, the president made clear we can and we will strike wherever we need to," the official said.

"So, victory is these [foreign terror] organizations cannot raise armies, they can't control territory, they can't export violence into America, they cannot exercise control over commerce in the region and they can't kill American citizens by importing drugs into our country," the official added.

Hegseth Touts Americas Counter Cartel Coalition During Panama Visit

Aug. 12, 2026 | By C. Todd Lopez, Pentagon News |

In Panama today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told members of the recently established Americas Counter Cartel Coalition that the U.S. is firmly committed to working alongside them to dismantle dangerous transnational criminal drug cartels.

Launched in March by President Donald J. Trump, the coalition — sometimes called "Shield of the Americas" — is a U.S.-led multinational security and political alliance formed to combat transnational drug cartels, reduce illegal migration across the Western Hemisphere and limit foreign geopolitical interference. 

"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." 

Over the last two days, 19 partner members of the A3C met in Panama for a coalition-wide discussion. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said A3C members share a common understanding of the threat posed by criminal networks operating in the hemisphere. 

"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." 

During the meetings, Donovan said, next steps were decided, which included refining priority network campaign plans, designating roles and lead nations, establishing working groups with specific 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." 

The general also said coalition nations are eager to volunteer to lead in areas important to them. 

"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." 

The United States, Hegseth said, is committed to dismantling the drug cartels that threaten safety, security and sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere. 

"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."

The citizens of the U.S., of coalition partner nations, and of the entire Western Hemisphere, Hegseth said, deserve and expect real, concrete actions.

"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." 

The nations in the coalition are united by heritage, history, faith, geography, and a shared interest in security and prosperity, Hegseth said, adding that narco-terrorism threatens all of that. 

"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 A3C, the secretary also announced an update for the coalition. 

"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 his visit to Panama, the secretary met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and also has plans to meet with U.S. service members at the jungle operations training course and observe Panamax training events.