Lt. Gen Francis Donovan said the new task force will serve as the command’s “operational arm” to confront threats across the Western Hemisphere. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Aug. 5 (UPI) — The U.S. Southern Command announced Wednesday creation of the Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force, a partnership with 18 countries across the Americas aimed at combating transnational organized crime and strengthening regional security.
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command said the alliance is intended to “increase operational effectiveness against threats that undermine regional security and affect the United States” and its partners while also strengthening responses to emergencies and humanitarian crises.
Gen. Francis Donovan, the Southern Command commander, said the new task force will serve as the command’s “operational arm” to confront threats across the Western Hemisphere.
Donovan said the initiative marks a transition from Operation Southern Spear, an operation launched by the Trump administration in September 2025 that included strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific and the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“Malign actors threaten national security, destabilize the region and exploit vulnerable populations,” Donovan said, adding that the task force will “synchronize military capabilities and apply sustained pressure against networks that threaten the region’s collective security.”
The task force will be led by U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarard. It is expected to expand intelligence sharing, increase joint training, improve interoperability, support maritime interdiction efforts, strengthen partner capabilities and remain prepared to provide humanitarian ***istance and disaster response when needed.
The coalition was initially established as the Shield of the Americas with 11 countries during a meeting convened by President Donald Trump in Miami in March.
It now includes 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.
