Defense and security leaders from 19 Western Hemisphere nations met in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Oct. 27 to advance a coordinated campaign against transnational cartels and narco-terrorist networks.
The forum, convened under the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, brought together senior defense ministers, military chiefs and public security leaders, including Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command. Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader also attended.
The leaders approved an operational campaign plan and governance charter designed to coordinate multilateral cooperation, share intelligence, and conduct combined operations against narco-terrorist networks.
Operation Southern Spear, an ongoing effort against maritime drug trafficking, has already shown measurable impact, according to coalition officials. The operations have degraded narco-terrorist maritime corridors by 64% in the western Caribbean, 58% in the eastern Caribbean and 40% across the Galapagos region.
The coalition was launched in Miami in March when the U.S. Secretary of War and other defense leaders signed an agreement to combat cartel and narco-terrorist networks. A preparatory meeting was held in Panama City in August.
Moving forward, the coalition nations aim to target what leaders describe as "criminal enablers" — shadow networks that facilitate drug trafficking and violence through illicit financing, sophisticated logistics, arms procurement and public corruption.