Colombia joins US-led anti-cartel coalition, authorizes joint military operations

Colombia joins the coalition

Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum of understanding in Panama City on Wednesday, formalizing Colombia's entry as the 19th member of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), also known as the Shield of the Americas. The coalition, created by President Donald Trump, now includes the United States, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico and Brazil, two of the region's largest economies, are not part of the alliance.

Hegseth said Colombia had authorized "joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks." Mora, appearing alongside Hegseth, said it was time for cartels to face the capabilities of the entire hemisphere, led by the United States. Hegseth also spoke of possible joint attacks against the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents, both designated by Washington as terrorist organizations. The US government has also designated the Clan del Golfo as a terrorist organization.

“Designated terrorist organizations, with partnered governments, will be legitimate targets of the United States government.”

A shift from Petro to De la Espriella

The agreement marks a sharp reversal from Colombia's stance under former President Gustavo Petro, a leftist who was highly critical of the US military campaign. Trump accused Petro of manufacturing cocaine, the State Department revoked his US visa, and the Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions. De la Espriella, inaugurated last week after winning a second round of elections, campaigned on bringing the "wrath of God" against drug traffickers and pledged to "end them like cockroaches, like rats." He has promised to confront narcoterrorism without truce and ruled out peace negotiations with armed groups.

Washington has accompanied the rapprochement with a pledge of $1 billion in security aid to Colombia. Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo expressed satisfaction with the package on August 8. A US official told Reuters the new relationship could surpass levels seen before. The announcement came even as Colombia deals with an earthquake from Monday that left hundreds dead.

The US military campaign and its critics

Since September 2025, the US military has conducted an air campaign targeting suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, killing at least 215 people. The Trump administration has not provided definitive proof that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and human rights organizations say the strikes could constitute extrajudicial killings, as they apparently targeted civilians who posed no immediate threat to the United States. The campaign has not affected the volume, quality, accessibility, or price of cocaine entering the United States.

“We do bad things to bad people.”

Speaking before soldiers, Hegseth added that the United States would be "very capable of exercising violence against drug cartels and organizations classified as terrorist." Colombia hosts approximately 25,000 members of illegal armed groups who finance themselves through drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion, according to a report by the Fundación Ideas para la Paz. The country is the world's largest producer of cocaine, while the United States is its largest consumer.

Opposition and concerns

The Colombian opposition has rejected the announcement, calling it "a renunciation of sovereignty." Critics on the left argue the invitation by De la Espriella is unconstitutional, as any presence of foreign troops should be approved beforehand by the Colombian Senate.

Pedro Yaranga, a political science professor and security specialist, told Deutsche Welle that the A3C faces a "thin line" between becoming a genuine milestone of operational integration or being reduced to a forum of good intentions. He noted that coalition countries lack uniform political will, institutional stability, and economic resources, compounded by fragile judicial systems and high levels of corruption.

Juanita Goebertus, director of the Americas division at Human Rights Watch, said regional cooperation is essential to combat organized crime but warned it would not succeed if based on low-quality intelligence, if it privileges attacks against "the weakest link in the criminal chain" through illegal use of force, or if it is not accompanied by a serious process of strengthening judicial administration.