Overview
- U.S. Southern Command has activated Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere and named Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard to lead the new operational headquarters.
- SOUTHCOM says the task force will serve as its action arm to synchronize U.S. military operations with allies and partners to counter transnational criminal networks and respond to crises.
- JTF-WHEM is designed to integrate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence sharing, maritime interdiction and combined training to boost partner capacity and interoperability.
- The headquarters will operate with 18 Americas Counter Cartel Coalition members, including Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Panama, expanding a coalition that began as the Shield of the Americas.
- Officials frame the move as a transition from Operation Southern Spear that keeps humanitarian aid and disaster response ready while raising diplomatic and sovereignty questions as military cooperation in the region deepens.