Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is convening a rare meeting of military leaders from all 34 Western Hemisphere nations as the U.S. military continues strikes targeting drug trafficking vessels.
The meeting, scheduled for Feb. 11, will mark the first time defense chiefs from across the hemisphere have gathered in this format and will focus on countering drug trafficking, criminal networks, and other security threats, according to a Joint Chiefs of Staff statement provided to ABC News.
“Chiefs of defense and senior military representatives from 34 nations will meet to build shared understanding of common security priorities and strengthen regional cooperation,” the statement said. Defense leaders will also examine “continued cooperation, and united efforts to counter criminal and terrorist organizations, as well as external actors undermining regional security and stability.”
The Joint Chiefs referenced the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy released in November, which states the U.S. seeks “a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations,” remains free of hostile foreign control of key assets, and supports critical supply chains and U.S. access to strategic locations.
