The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) activated the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) this Monday, a new military structure created specifically to combat drug cartels and other transnational threats in the western hemisphere.
The announcement was made by General Francis L. Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, who introduced the new force as the "action arm" of the U.S. military command in the region.
“During this period, we will apply total systemic friction to these networks that threaten our homeland and our partners in our shared region. And together with the Americas Coalition Against the Cartels, our 18 nations that support the same effort, we will take the fight to the enemy. So today, we are launching the activation of the Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force, the operational arm of U.S. Southern Command,” declared Donovan.
The transition took place at midnight on Monday, when the former Joint Task Force Southern Spear (JTF-84-2) was officially replaced by the new structure, according to SOUTHCOM's official account.
"Today at midnight, we transitioned from the Southern Spear Joint Task Force to the activation of the Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force. The JTF-WHEM will build on a legacy of excellence to secure the region and defeat all threats," stated SOUTHCOM in its official communication.
Donovan described the mission of the new force in strong terms: "We will locate, close in on, and destroy these threats that affect the United States and our key partners in the region. We are changing the game."
The activation of the JTF-WHEM represents the consolidation of the anti-drug campaign under a permanent command structure with a broader geographical reach, within the framework of the maximum pressure policy that the Trump administration maintains against transnational criminal networks in the hemisphere.
The JTF-WHEM will operate in coordination with the Americas Coalition Against Cartels, composed of 18 partner nations.
This coalition was formally launched in March by President Trump during the Shield of the Americas Summit, with countries like Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, and Peru, among others.
The new force inherits the operational legacy of the JTF Southern Spear, established in October 2025 under the II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Since then, that structure has accumulated dozens of maritime interdiction operations and attacks against drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
According to a report released in June, the United States had attacked more than 60 vessels and caused over 210 deaths since the beginning of Operation Southern Spear in September 2025.
Filed under: