Shield of the Americas

The Shield of the Americas, officially Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (ACCC; A3C), is a multinational military and political coalition established by U.S. President Donald Trump on March 7, 2026 during a summit with leaders from countries across the Western Hemisphere. The program is intended to coordinate military and security efforts among participating nations to combat transnational criminal organizations, particularly drug cartels operating throughout the Americas. According to President Trump, the initiative would involve participating countries sharing intelligence and coordinating operations to locate and dismantle cartel networks. The coalition allows member states to request assistance from partners, including the United States, in targeting cartel infrastructure and trafficking routes.

On March 5, 2026, President Trump announced that Kristi Noem would be the inaugural special envoy for the initiative, in the same Truth Social post that announced her replacement as the Secretary of Homeland Security.^[2]

On March 7, 2026, President Trump stated that representatives from 17 nations had joined the initial alliance, which centers on the commitment to use military capabilities to disrupt and dismantle cartel organizations and associated terrorist networks. The initiative was presented during a summit in Doral, Florida attended by regional leaders, including Javier Milei of Argentina, Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Santiago Peña of Paraguay, and other representatives.^{[3] [4]}

The grouping that became the Shield of the Americas emerged from political lobbying of the incoming second Trump administration after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 United States presidential election. Through lobbying, especially of Argentine president Javier Milei, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, and El Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele seeking to secure political, financial, military support from the incoming administration. Other governments engaged in such efforts included Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, and Panama.^[5] All three would be among several heads of state at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Leandro Morgenfeld, coordinator for the study group on the U.S. of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, argues that the alignment of Bukele, Milei, Noboa, and Peña with U.S. president Donald Trump is due to the latter's revival of the Monroe Doctrine in foreign policy. He explains that governments in the Americas that don't align with the United States are subject to threats, while those that are aligned become subject to American neocolonialism.^[6]

The grouping is also informed by ideological alignment, priorities in finance, and securing political support from the United States, amidst international criticism. U.S. President Trump's second administration was critical of Bukele and Milei securing loans from the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank through the U.S.'s vote share on such institutions.^[7]

Ivan Briscoe, a senior policy director from the International Crisis Group, argued on NPR that Trump's foreign policy toward Latin America is intended to build a coalition ideologically aligned with his administration.^[8] Those politically or militarily opposed to his administration's actions in the Americas, even traditional allies such as Brazil and Colombia, have faced travel restrictions and sanctions from the United States. Most of the MAGA movement see the Americas as a territorial extension of the continental United States.^{[9] [10]} Concerning the region, the 2025 National Security Strategy says the United States will "will reward and encourage the region's governments, political parties, and movements broadly aligned with our principles and strategy."

On March 7, 2026, President Trump signed a proclamation launching the Shield of the Americas initiative, establishing an Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition. The signing took place at the Shield of the Americas Summit at Trump National Doral Miami. The proclamation commits participating nations to coordinate military and law enforcement efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations, particularly drug cartels. Attendees included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.^[11]

Representatives from the United States and 11 countries in Central and South America, as well as countries from the Caribbean, attended the inaugural summit, namely:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Costa Rica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guyana
• Honduras
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United States

Outside the inaugural summit attendees, six countries also signed on to the initial Joint Security Declaration:

• Bahamas
• Belize
• Chile
• Guatemala
• Jamaica
• Peru

Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Suriname, Dominica, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, as well as Denmark (which administered Greenland), France (which administered French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, the Collectivity of Saint Martin and Saint Pierre and Miquelon), the Netherlands (which administered Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the special municipalities of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius) and the United Kingdom (which administered Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands) were absent from the summit and did not participate in the initial meeting of the initiative.^[12]

President-elect of Chile José Antonio Kast and his nominated Minister of Defense, Fernando Barros attended the meeting, but not in an official capacity as they could not legally sign the agreement because the then government of President Gabriel Boric was not invited nor represented.

The Shield of the Americas is officially a military coalition, though it is also characterized as a political coalition, where issues are coordinated and addressed with right-wing governments aligned to the United States under the second Trump administration.

Illegal and mass migration, drug trafficking, foreign interference, and organized crime were first discussed at the level of heads of state or government who were invited to the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit on March 7, 2026. The event was presided over United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kristi Noem as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.^{[13] [14]} As special envoy to the coalition, they diplomatically coordinate with invited heads of state or government on behalf of the United States to address the above issues.^{[15] [16] [17]} At the working lunch of the inaugural summit, Noem told attendees, "I will, when the press leaves, give you all my personal cell phone number so that you can reach me at any time that you may need something."

Attending states have increased access to American military equipment, training, and intelligence to militarily address such issues.^[18]

Also under the auspices of the summit's goals, member states coast guards are supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The Americas Counter Cartel Conference is the operational conference of the coalition, consisting of member states' ministers of defense or security, who convene to coordinate militarily addressing drug trafficking, organized crime, and threats to critical infrastructure.^[19] It is held at the SOUTHCOM Conference Center of the Americas in Doral, Florida, where the inaugural meeting was hosted March 4-5, 2026. The event was presided over by United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of the United States Southern Command.^{[20] [21]}

At the inaugural conference, participating ministers signed the Americas Counter Cartel Joint Security Declaration, with Hegseth finally signing on March 5, all committing to join the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.

AMERICAS COUNTER CARTEL CONFERENCE JOINT SECURITY DECLARATION

March 4-5, 2026

The Ministers of Defense and Security or their counterparts and the Heads of Delegation participating in the Americas Counter Cartel Conference;

Reaffirming our strong security and defense relationships, based on a shared commitment to peace, sovereignty, and security in the Western Hemisphere;

Respecting the sovereignty of each of our nations, consistent with existing bilateral agreements and the laws of our respective countries; and

Recognizing the strategic importance of enhancing cooperation among partners aligned with a common interest in a safe and secure Western Hemisphere;

DECLARE our intent to:

1. Expand multilateral and bilateral cooperation to enhance security in the Western Hemisphere;

2. Cooperate in the following areas: whole-of-government efforts regarding border security; countering narco- terrorism and trafficking; securing critical infrastructure; and other areas as mutually determined;

3. Advance "Peace through Strength" to address future threats to our mutual interests; and

4. Join a coalition to combat narco-terrorism and other shared threats to the Western Hemisphere.

Signed in Doral, from March 4-5, 2026, in the English and Spanish language, both texts being equally authentic.

Adam Isacson, from the Washington Office on Latin America, claimed members of the coalition confidentially negotiated with the United States for increased federal funding towards military aid in addressing the above issues, hence the vagueness of the Joint Security Declaration.^[22]

On May 29, 2026, the ministers of defense and foreign affairs from coalition members Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru signed the Santiago Regional Commitment Against Transnational Organized Crime in Santiago, Chile. They agreed to establish a working group to implement and coordinate on a joint action plan to address transnational organized crime.^{[23] [24]}

The Shield of the Americas has also been characterized as a right-wing political coalition aligned with the United States. Tomorrow's Affairs cited the exclusive ideological alignment of the summit's attendees as a reason for its political nature. Connectas claims U.S. president Donald Trump wants such to enforce his administration's "homeland defense" hemispherically.^{[22] [25]} Chatham House described the initial grouping that would be the coalition as a right-wing populist network influencing the second Trump administration's foreign policy in Latin America,^[26] citing the ideological nature of its membership as a detriment to its military longevity.^[27] Bukele, Milei, and Asfura also employed political strategist Fernando Carimedo, who works for Trump and played a prominent role in the 2022–2023 Brazilian election protests favouring Bolsonaro, live-streaming Brazil Was Stolen, claiming that voting machines were tampered with to favour Lula de Silva.^[28] Catham House, The Economist and The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune^[29] include in the network:

• Nasry Asfura, 40th President of Honduras (2026-present), president of the National Party of Honduras (2025-present), mayor of Tegucigalpa (2014-2022)
• Jair Bolsonaro, 38th President of Brazil (2019-2023), member of the Chamber of Deputies (1991-2019), member of the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro (1989-1991)
• Nayib Bukele, 81st President of El Salvador (2019-present), mayor of San Salvador (2015-2019), mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán (2012-2015)
• José Antonio Kast, 38th President of Chile (2026-present), member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile (2002-2018), member of the Buin City Council (1996-2000)
• Javier Milei, 52nd President of Argentina (2023-present), member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies (2021-2023)

Parties and movements associated with these figures include:

• Board of Peace, another organization founded and chaired by Donald Trump
• Inter-American Peace Force
• Latin America–United States relations
• Monroe Doctrine
• Operation Southern Spear
• Rio Pact
• School of the Americas

• Shield of the Americas

• Shield of the Americas
• 2026 establishments in the United States
• Second presidency of Donald Trump
• United States–Caribbean relations
• United States–Central America relations
• United States–South America relations
• Drug policy of the United States
• Multilateral relations of the United States
• Foreign policy of the Trump administration

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