Hegseth travels to Panama, calls narcoterrorists and traffickers ‘the ISIS and al-Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere’ at conference

OAN Staff Addie Davis
4:50 PM – Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered remarks at the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) conference in Panama, highlighting recent U.S.-led achievements against narco-terrorists and traffickers.

During his speech on Wednesday, Hegseth reiterated that the Trump administration remains committed to defending against such criminal enterprises in the Western Hemisphere.

“And yesterday, and today, and going forward, we are gathered to take the next step in our shared fight against narco-terrorists, gang members, and drug and human traffickers–designated terrorist organizations, the ISIS and al-Aqaeda of the Western Hemisphere, no different, and they should be treated as such,” he said.

Formed earlier this year, the coalition consists of numerous countries in the Western Hemisphere with stated goals of advancing security and protecting against narcoterrorism, trafficking and other threats to the region.

“Under decades of globalist neglect, more than one million Americans died from fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs. That’s more loss than the United States had suffered in any war in our 250-year history,” Hegseth said.

He further emphasized what is at stake for member nations in securing the region.

“This blatant neglect for our national security also destroyed your borders and your sovereignty and your immigration systems as well. That is why we’re here today together,” he continued.

Hegseth also announced that Colombia, which just elected the Trump-aligned candidate Abelardo de la Espriella as president, will be joining the coalition as its 19^th member nation. In support of the operations in the hemisphere, Hegseth called to mind the famous Monroe Doctrine from more than two hundred years ago.