Overview
- At the Shield of the Americas summit in Florida, President Trump signed a proclamation establishing the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition with leaders from 12 U.S.-aligned nations.
- Former DHS secretary Kristi Noem was named special envoy for the initiative, attended the summit, and was introduced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate follow-through with participating governments.
- Trump urged participating countries to use military force against cartels, endorsed precision missile strikes, and likened the effort to the coalition that fought the Islamic State group.
- The summit highlighted recent joint actions, including U.S.-supported Ecuadorian operations against designated narco‑terrorist targets that SOUTHCOM and Ecuador publicized this week.
- Major regional powers Mexico, Brazil and Colombia did not participate, a gap analysts say could limit the coalition’s reach, as Trump also signaled heightened pressure on Cuba in the near term.