The U.S. Southern Command has created a new task force intended to facilitate and coordinate action against organized criminal threats involving the U.S. military and regional partner states. The Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere was established Aug. 4, adding a new mechanism for cooperation as the United States expands its security focus in Latin America, Defense One reported.
The task force is part of a broader effort to organize regional responses to transnational organized crime. In March, the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition was created as a U.S.-led body to coordinate regional actions against such threats. The coalition and the task force suggest that SOUTHCOM sees a need for greater multilateral cooperation, although they serve different functions. The coalition provides a regional coordinating body, while the task force is designed to facilitate action by U.S. military and partner-state forces.
The task force could be put to use soon. On Aug. 12, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala had approved U.S. participation in combined operations against criminal entities. The announcement did not identify a specific operation, target or start date, but it indicated that some regional governments had agreed to U.S. involvement in operations against criminal groups.
The new command also follows recent SOUTHCOM activity in the region. In March, the command dispatched forces to help Ecuadorian security forces take action against an alleged criminal hub inside Ecuador. That episode was part of a broader U.S. security approach that has included Operation Southern Spear.
Operation Southern Spear began with U.S. Navy strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels, according to the Defense One account. The operation later expanded to include the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and renewed U.S. economic and military pressure on Cuba. The developments have marked a more hands-on U.S. policy in Latin America while raising questions about the extent of Washington’s regional role.
The task force and coalition are intended to provide forums for U.S. and SOUTHCOM leaders to build strategic consensus, guide operational planning and mediate disputes among participating governments. They may also allow the United States to influence governments that do not participate directly. The organizations therefore represent not only mechanisms for coordinating security actions, but also channels through which Washington can seek broader regional support for its policies.
That effort faces a politically sensitive environment. Several Latin American governments are adopting tougher policies toward organized crime, and the Defense One account says they were broadly sympathetic to Maduro’s removal. At the same time, Southern Spear’s boat strikes and the Maduro operation provoked unease in a region with a long history of U.S. interventionism.
U.S. officials have sought regional buy-in, or at least acquiescence, for a larger U.S. role. Political and material incentives have been used to attract participation, while security and economic assistance is increasingly tied to commitments to cooperate in areas of U.S. interest. Diplomats and senior SOUTHCOM personnel have also sought support for possible formal deployments of U.S. troops inside regional partner states.
The creation of the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere gives those efforts a dedicated military framework. Its stated purpose is to facilitate and coordinate action against organized criminal threats, rather than to establish a specific mission or deployment. The approvals announced for Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala show that some governments have agreed to U.S. participation in combined operations, but the available account does not specify what those operations will involve or when they will begin.