Southern Command strengthens military force in the Caribbean to curb drug trafficking routes

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday the creation of a counter-narcotics Joint Task Force to operate in the Caribbean Sea under the command of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The initiative is part of President Donald Trump's strategy to block maritime drug trafficking routes connecting South America to the United States.

"At the President’s direction, the Department of War is establishing a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force in the @SOUTHCOM area of responsibility to crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe," Hegseth said in a message posted on X. "The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold."

The decision follows four recent military operations in the Caribbean against suspected drug trafficking vessels, which left 21 dead linked to these illicit activities, according to the administration. The announcement represents a strengthening of Washington's military presence in the region, since it is not a temporary operation but the installation of a permanent command structure focused exclusively on maritime interdiction and strategic surveillance operations.

Military operation with a defined structure and hemispheric reach

In a press release, SOUTHCOM specified that the new force will be integrated by the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) and will coordinate operations with the Coast Guard, federal agencies such as the DEA and allies in the region. Its mission will be to locate, interdict, and disrupt criminal networks before they reach U.S. waters.

The SOUTHCOM commander, Admiral Alvin Holsey, said the operation seeks to "synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere" to shut down maritime corridors used by transnational criminal organizations. Holsey warned that these networks "threaten the security, prosperity, and health of our hemisphere" and operate with increasing logistical sophistication.

For its operations, JTF will employ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, precision maritime interdiction, and real-time intelligence fusion between U.S. military forces and partner agencies.

Lt. Gen. Calvert Worth, commander of II MEF and designated to lead the force, stressed that it is "principally a maritime effort." He noted that the goal is to "detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit trafficking networks faster and at greater depth—together with our U.S. and partner-nation counterparts."

Trump Links Maduro Regime to Drug Trafficking

The launch of this new offensive comes amid rising tensions with the Venezuelan regime.  President Trump notified Congress that the United States is at war with drug cartels, which his administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations, thus enabling military action abroad.

The White House has accused Nicolás Maduro of allowing Venezuela to become a platform for drug trafficking to the United States through the Caribbean. Trump has described the Venezuelan leader as an ally of international organized crime.