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Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics

U.S. Military Creates Permanent Anti-Cartel Headquarters as Vessel Strike Campaign Expands

Francis L Donovan Donald Trump Pete Hegseth SOUTHCOM
(From center L/R) US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Maj. General Antoinette Gant, Commanding General of the Joint Task Force National Capital Region, participate in a wreath laying ceremony on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on May 25, 2026. (Credit: Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Southern Command has activated a permanent military headquarters to coordinate operations against drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean, formalizing a broader expansion of the military's regional security mission under the Trump administration.

The new Joint Task Force–Western Hemisphere, activated Monday, replaces the temporary Joint Task Force Southern Spear established in 2025.

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