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.
«We will apply total systemic friction to these networks that threaten our homeland and our partners in our shared region. And alongside the Coalition of the Americas 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 action arm of U.S. Southern Command,» declared Donovan.
The transition took place at midnight on Monday, when the previous Joint Task Force Southern Spear (JTF-84-2) was formally replaced by the new structure, as posted by SOUTHCOM on its official account.
"Tonight at midnight, we will transition 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 announcement.
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 rules of 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 upholds against transnational criminal networks in the hemisphere.
The JTF-WHEM will operate in coordination with the Americas Coalition Against Cartels, which is made up of 18 partner nations. This coalition was formally launched in March by President Trump during the Americas Shield Summit, with countries such as 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 the eastern Pacific.
According to a report released in June, the United States had attacked over 60 vessels and caused more than 210 deaths since the start of Operation Southern Spear in September 2025.
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