Secretary of War Pete Hegseth traveled to Panama on August 12 to address members of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, affirming the United States’ commitment to dismantling transnational drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere.
The coalition, sometimes called Shield of the Americas, was launched in March by President Donald J. Trump. It operates as a U.S.-led multinational security and political alliance aimed at combating transnational drug cartels, reducing illegal migration and limiting 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 two days, 19 partner members gathered in Panama for coalition-wide discussions. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the members share a common understanding of the threat posed by criminal networks.
“Coalition campaigning creates systemic friction on these networks,” Donovan said. “Our strength is in our complementary capabilities. Persistence and unity will drive scale and will drive victory.”
During the meetings, participants refined priority network campaign plans, designated roles and lead nations, established working groups with specific objectives and milestones, and began coalition campaign assessments.
“Between now and November, we are going to write an A3C campaign plan,” Donovan said. “We will staff it with our teammates and our members here in the room, and we’ll approve it by November.”
He noted that several nations quickly volunteered to lead efforts in particular subregions or against specific threats.
Hegseth underscored the U.S. resolve to dismantle the cartels that threaten safety, security and sovereignty in the region.
“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 citizens across the United States, coalition partner nations and the entire Western Hemisphere deserve concrete action.
“We believe there’s no time to waste and no better time than right now,” Hegseth 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 secretary described the coalition nations as united by heritage, history, faith, geography and a shared interest in security and prosperity, all of which face threats from narco-terrorism.
“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, Hegseth announced a new motto 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.”
While in Panama, Hegseth met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino. He also planned to meet with U.S. service members at the jungle operations training course and observe Panamax training events.
The meetings signal continued momentum for the coalition as it moves from initial vision toward operational campaign planning later this year.
