El Salvador joined regional leaders this week at a security conference hosted at the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command in Florida, where officials from across the Americas gathered to discuss coordinated action against drug cartels operating throughout the hemisphere. Representing El Salvador at the event titled “America Against the Cartels” were Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro and Minister of Defense René Francis Merino Monroy.
The conference brought together representatives from 18 countries with the goal of strengthening cooperation against organized crime networks that continue to affect security, migration, and economic stability across the region. The meeting emphasized operational collaboration and intelligence sharing among partner nations seeking to disrupt trafficking routes and dismantle criminal organizations.
During the opening session, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that cartel activity represents a major threat to regional stability and called on participating countries to intensify their response. “The United States is prepared to address these threats and go on the offensive alone if necessary,” he said.
Hegseth stressed that Washington’s preference is to act alongside its partners throughout the Americas, highlighting the importance of regional unity in confronting transnational criminal groups. “However, it is our preference and the goal of this conference that, in the interest of the neighborhood, we do everything together with you, with our neighbors and allies,” he added.
He also noted that recent U.S. operations targeting drug trafficking vessels have yielded positive results and encouraged participating nations to take a more proactive role in confronting cartel networks. “You also can and should go on the offensive against narco-terrorists,” Hegseth said, describing the gathering as an operational effort aimed at aligning regional strategies against a shared threat.