SOUTHCOM activated Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere as a standing anti-cartel HQ for Latin America, while Mexico stays under NORTHCOM. What changes.
Regional · Security
Key Facts
New HQ U.S. Southern Command activated Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere on Aug. 4, 2026, replacing the temporary Operation Southern Spear.
Command shift The task force is SOUTHCOM’s standing “operational headquarters” for counter-cartel and transnational crime operations across Latin America.
Commander U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan leads SOUTHCOM, describing the new force as its “action arm” applying “total systemic friction” to cartels.
A new task force and coordinating body suggest SOUTHCOM senses a need for cooperation in the region.
The new task force will coordinate cartel-smashing operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
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