EASTERN PACIFIC — On August 23, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out a strike on a low-profile vessel operating along routes SOUTHCOM described as established narco-trafficking routes, according to U.S. Southern Command.
U.S. Southern Command released the details at 5:21 AM UTC on August 24. The strike was carried out under the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.
SOUTHCOM Intelligence showed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two individuals whom the Command identified as “narco-terrorists.”
Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere was activated on August 4 as SOUTHCOM’s action arm for operations across the region, succeeding the prior Joint Task Force Southern Spear structure.
SOUTHCOM selected U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard to command the task force. Jarrard had most recently led U.S. military support to Department of State-led disaster relief after the June 2026 earthquakes in Venezuela.
The statement released by U.S. Southern command did not state whether U.S. forces were harmed. No separate statement from the Department of War or from Maj. Gen. Jarrard on the August 23 strike has been issued as of August 24.
The August 23 action is the first kinetic strike attributed to Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere since its activation.
