President Trump stands with the leaders: Argentine President Javier Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, Chilean President José Antonio Kast, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Honduran President Tito Asfura, Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Trinidad and Tobago President Christine Kangaloo.
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(by Sarah Davis, The Hill) –President Trump on Saturday announced a new coalition (Americas Counter Cartel Coalition) to counter drug trafficking and cartels during the inaugural “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami.
“On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand-new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region,” Trump said during the event, which convened a range of Latin American leaders and members of his administration, among others.
“And you have a lot of it,” the president told the heads of state, adding that the U.S. is “knocking the hell out of” the cartels and vowing to “go heavier.”
His remarks follow his promise earlier this year to carry out land strikes on drug cartels, in addition to a slew of boat strikes on…narco-terrorist vessels in the Caribbean.
Earlier this week, the U.S. military also led an operation targeting an Ecuadorian “narco-terrorist” supply complex, which was carried out at the request of the nation’s government.
Trump also addressed the U.S. military’s ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, calling the operation “18 minutes of pure violence.” He commended the South American nation’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez for “working with us.”
“I mean, she’s doing a great job because she’s working with us,” the president said. “If she wasn’t working with us, I would not say she’s doing a great job. In fact, if she wasn’t working with us, I’d say she’s doing a very poor job. Unacceptable.”
He added that U.S. companies are “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela. [The socialist government of narco-trafficker dictator Hugo Chavez had seized control of two American oil companies assets in Venezuela, owing one over $1 billion and the other over $10 billion]. The two nations agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations earlier this week.
Leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago joined Saturday’s summit.
And at least 17 countries have signed on to the new agreement, called “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” which Trump noted “has to do with drugs, largely.”
“The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks,” he said. “Once and for all, we’ll get rid of them.”
Turning to the leaders, the president added, “We’ll need your help. You just have to tell us where they are. We have amazing weaponry, as you probably noticed over the last short period of time,” [referring to] the U.S.’s joint military operations with Israel against Iran …..
[The president also focused a portion of his remarks on the cartels running Mexico, saying that the “epicenter of cartel violence” stems from the country. He added that cartels fuel and orchestrate “a deep bloodshed and chaos” in the hemisphere.“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Mr. Trump said. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.”
The heads of state or government attending the “Shield of the Americas” summit, are from 12 countries aligned with Washington on issues including migration, drug trafficking and regional security.
The summit is a central piece of the Trump administration’s hemispheric strategy, dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine,” a play on the 19th Century Monroe Doctrine, which officials say seeks to deepen cooperation among U.S. partners while limiting the influence of geopolitical rivals such as China, Russia and Iran in Latin America].
The participating leaders signed the Doral Charter, a declaration affirming what officials describe as the “right of the peoples of our Hemisphere to chart their own destiny free from interference,” while emphasizing democratic governance and free-market principles.
The document also commit participating countries to closer cooperation against drug cartels, criminal gangs and illegal migration, as well as expanded coordination on trade and economic policy.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the summit reflects Trump’s effort to reassert U.S. leadership in the region.
“After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” Kelly said in a statement. “This weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate his work to strengthen partnerships that make the region safer and more stable.”
Trump was joined by several senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Published at The Hill, March 7, 2026. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Before answering the questions, read the “Background” and watch the videos under “Resources” below.
1. What is the difference between the “Shield of the Americas” summit and “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition”?
2. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)
3. What is the goal of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition that President Trump introduced during the Shield of the Americas summit?
4. List the countries/leaders who attended the summit on Saturday.
5. What actions has the Trump administration taken so far to eradicate the cartels?
6. a) List the 17 countries that have signed on to the new agreement.
b) What have the U.S. and our partners committed to do under the agreement?
7. What did President Trump ask the leaders partnering with the U.S. to do?
8. What is the Doral Charter? – what areas does it cover?
9. What is your reaction to the Doral charter and the Trump administration’s overall strategy for eradicating the cartels – by using our military and by partnering with countries in the region – as well as the additional work President Trump aims to do with our Latin American partners?
Background
What is the difference between the Shield of the Americas and Americas Counter Cartel Coalition? (Perplexity AI, March 8)
Shield of the Americas is the broader regional security initiative and summit framework, while the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition is the specific military coalition created within that framework tasked with carrying out joint counter‑cartel operations.
Shield of the Americas
- An overarching U.S.-led Western Hemisphere security initiative announced by President Trump, focused on issues like cartels, narco‑terrorism, illegal immigration, and foreign interference in the region.
- Functions as a diplomatic and strategic umbrella under which leaders meet (the Shield of the Americas summit) to sign documents like the Doral Charter and coordinate regional policy and security cooperation.
- Includes a range of tools: political commitments, information‑sharing, border security cooperation, and broader regional strategy, not just kinetic operations.
The summit was attended by: Argentine President Javier Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, Chilean President José Antonio Kast, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Honduran President Tito Asfura, Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Trinidad and Tobago President Christine Kangaloo.
Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C)
- A defined 17‑nation military alliance formally launched by the U.S. Secretary of War and then announced by Trump at the Shield of the Americas summit.
- Its core mission is coordinated, and explicitly lethal, military force against drug cartels and associated terrorist/narcoterrorist networks, including missile and other strikes when requested by partner governments.
- Operates as the operational, hard‑power arm inside the Shield of the Americas architecture—i.e., it is the counter‑cartel warfighting coalition created under the Shield framework, with shared intelligence and joint operations focused specifically on cartels.
The Coalition (alongside the United States) comprises these 17 partner nations:
Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago
In November 2025, the Trump administration released “National Security Strategy of the United States“:
Western Hemisphere: The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to
protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region. We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere. This “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.
Our goals for the Western Hemisphere can be summarized as “Enlist and Expand.” We will enlist established friends in the Hemisphere to control migration, stop drug flows, and strengthen stability and security on land and sea. We will expand by cultivating and strengthening new partners while bolstering our own nation’s appeal as the Hemisphere’s economic and security partner of choice…(Section IV, 3 A)
Resources
Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanks Latin American leaders in Spanish at launch of Shield of the Americas, March 7, 2026:
President Trump addresses Shield of the Americas Summit, March 7, 2026:
Daily “Answers” emails are provided for Daily News Articles, Tuesday’s World Events and Friday’s News Quiz.
