Lt. Gen Francis Donovan said the new task force will serve as the command's "operational arm" to confront threats across the Western Hemisphere. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Southern Command announced Wednesday creation of the Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force, a partnership with 18 countries across the Americas aimed at combating transnational organized crime and strengthening regional security.
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command said the alliance is intended to "increase operational effectiveness against threats that undermine regional security and affect the United States" and its partners while also strengthening responses to emergencies and humanitarian crises.
Gen. Francis Donovan, the Southern Command commander, said the new task force will serve as the command's "operational arm" to confront threats across the Western Hemisphere.
Donovan said the initiative marks a transition from Operation Southern Spear, an operation launched by the Trump administration in September 2025 that included strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific and the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
