U.S. Southern Command Official Website

Three small boats are ablaze in ocean as a white coast guard ship sails in the background.

May 14 2026

Disrupting Narco-Terrorist Networks

Latest news and information on SOUTHCOM efforts to work with partners to detect, disrupt, and dismantle cartels and narco-terrorist networks.
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Aug 18 2026

Support to Colombia Earthquake Relief

U.S. military forces support Department of State-led U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Colombia in the aftermath of the August 10, 2026, earthquake.
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks at a lectern on a stage to a seated audience.

Aug 13 2026

Changing the Game

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told members of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition that the U.S. is firmly committed to working alongside them to dismantle dangerous transnational criminal drug cartels.
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U.S. Marines offload disaster assistance supplies from a Landing Craft

Jun 29 2026

Support to Venezuela Earthquake Relief

U.S. military forces supported Department of State-led U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the June 24, 2026, earthquakes.
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U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma crew members conduct interdiction operations in the Gulf of America, May 8, 2026. Tahoma’s crew, alongside a deployed Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew, stopped three suspected smuggling vessels carrying narcotics during a maritime patrol approximately 90 miles off Cartagena, Colombia. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Disrupting Narco-Terrorist Networks

Support to Colombia Earthquake Relief

Changing the Game

Support to Venezuela Earthquake Relief

News

Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere | Aug. 24, 2026

Lethal Kinetic Strike, August 23, 2026

On August 23, under the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan’s direction, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the

State Partnership Program | Nat'l Guard | Aug. 21, 2026

Georgia Guard Soldiers Endure Jungle Operations Training

High heat, constant humidity, heavy rainfall, dense vegetation, dangerous animals and countless insects are what Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade endured at the Combined Jungle Training Center-South in Panama

State Partnership Program | Nat'l Guard | Aug. 20, 2026

Constructing Interoperability: Massachusetts National Guard engineers bo...

More than 50 Soldiers and Airmen from the Massachusetts National Guard conducted a joint engineering mission with the Paraguayan Armed Forces to renovate critical infrastructure at military training sites near Asunción, Paraguay, July 13-26, 2026.

SOUTHCOM Imperatives | Aug. 19, 2026

Strengthening Hemispheric Security: DASA Patrick Mason Highlights UAS/CU...

Today, in a major effort to accelerate defense modernization and strengthen security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation (DASA (DEC)), Mr. Patrick Mason, and his

Commander

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan is the Commander of U.S. Southern Command. Gen. Donovan assumed command Feb. 5, 2026

GEN. DONOVAN'S BIO

Four Imperatives

SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan has developed four imperatives to posture the U.S. military to confront the threats facing the Western Hemisphere.

Strengthen hemispheric command and control.
Impose total systemic friction on drug cartels and terrorist organizations.
Develop and field cost-effective, modernized forces tailored for the mission.
Deny adversary footholds and undue influence in the Western Hemisphere.

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Lethal Kinetic Strike, August 23, 2026

U.S. Southern Command

Aug. 23, 2026 | 0:09

"This operation is a clear and decisive reminder that SOUTHCOM is taking the fight directly to the cartels." On August 23, under the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan’s direction, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two narco-terrorists. "When I ordered the establishment of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, it was precisely for this purpose: to accelerate, synchronize, and execute lethal actions against these destabilizing narco-terrorist networks. We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists -- disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region." Gen. Donovan said. “Let me be clear, we will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities. This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland," Gen. Donovan said.