U.S. Aims in Latin America and Caribbean
Trump Forms Dangerous "Brand-New Military Coalition" Called Shield of the Americas
On March 7, in Doral, Florida, Donald Trump convoked what the U.S. State Department called the U.S.'s "strongest like-minded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region. This historic coalition of nations will work together to advance strategies that stop foreign interference in our hemisphere, criminal and narco-terrorist gangs and cartels, and illegal and mass immigration." Dubbed the "Shield of the Americas" summit, in attendance were the heads of state of those countries whose governments the U.S. has either installed or taken over: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago. "On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand-new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region," Trump said.
Trump announced at least 17 countries have signed on. He called it "America's Counter Cartel Coalition" which, Trump noted, "has to do with drugs, largely."
It was announced a few days prior that Kristi Noem, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), serves as special envoy to this new "Shield of the Americas." She said on X, "The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. [...] In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security."
Speaking about the U.S. attack on Venezuela and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump said it was "18 minutes of pure violence." He went on to declare that Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez is "working with us. I mean she's doing a great job because she's working with us." Trump referenced the U.S.'s joint military operations with Israel against Iran, saying, "It's been a pretty wild time, but it's going very well." He added, "We have amazing weaponry, as you probably noticed over the last short period of time."
The Washington, DC newspaper The Hill writes that, according to the White House, the regional coalition of countries in Latin America will work together on ideology and policy initiatives that help secure the Western Hemisphere. The administration has described the doctrine as enlisting "established friends" in the Western Hemisphere to pursue U.S. aims and expanding ties by "cultivating and strengthening new partners."
In an article published by the Wilson Centre, Carrie Filipetti, currently U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cuba and Venezuela in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, elaborated on four key elements of the Shield of the Americas:
Takeaway #1: the Western Hemisphere is a true strategic priority for the Trump administration.
According to Filipetti, President Trump's attendance alongside many of his top advisors, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Homeland Security Advisor Steven Miller, even in the midst of war on Iran, demonstrated the significant importance of the event. It indicates that "the administration's focus on the Western Hemisphere is a genuine strategic priority, not mere rhetoric." At the same time, Filipetti wrote, "the fact that 12 foreign heads of state attended and a total of 17 nations were represented shows that the United States is once again commanding the attention of the Western Hemisphere in ways that only China has been able to do in recent years."
Takeaway #2: beyond security cooperation, the Trump administration's aim is deepening economic ties.
Filipetti says the summit showed that security cooperation is the central theme of the Trump Administration's engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, but economic ties are deepening as well. The U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) clearly outlined a security-forward agenda for Latin America. The Shield of the Americas Summit was the first step towards operationalizing the approach outlined in this document. With discussions on intelligence sharing, military cooperation and defence partnerships taking place, the Summit replaced the often-vague pledges for "cooperation" common at past summits with a tangible focus on countering cartels in the Western Hemisphere. While security occupied centre stage, President Trump also signed several economic deals on the sidelines of the meeting. For instance, newly inaugurated Chilean president José Antonio Kast announced a new minerals deal with the United States. The agreement fulfills a core objective of the NSS by bolstering ties between the United States and the region on minerals.
Takeaway #3: Trump is establishing a legacy of reinventing regional and multilateral cooperation.
According to Filipetti, Trump views reinventing regional and multilateral cooperation architecture as part of his "legacy." She writes, "Notably, unlike the Summit of the Americas, there were no multilateral representatives present in Doral. Just as the Board of Peace appears designed to create an international body that competes with -- or even replaces -- the United Nations, the Shield suggests a move to bypass some of the regional bodies that have failed in recent years to fulfill their mandate, including the Organization of American States (OAS). Here, Trump appears focused on creating a coalition of like-minded partners in the region and pitching the benefits of partnership with the United States. How that will be received by those countries and leaders who were not invited -- whether it ultimately serves to draw them closer in the future or turns them further away -- remains to be seen, but Trump's convening power was firmly displayed with the Shield of the Americas."
Takeaway #4: the Trump administration missed a key opportunity to push strategies that counter the People's Republic of China.
According to Filipetti, Trump "missed a key opportunity to push strategies that counter the People's Republic of China (PRC)." She notes that "While the prioritization of the hemisphere is already being realized, how the United States intends to counter Chinese influence remains unclear. Pushing Russia, China, and Iran out of the region is a core focus of the National Security Strategy. President Trump's press conference following the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro signalled that focus as well, but since then there has been little policy activity to support this goal. From the public reporting of the summit, little was said about China or the ways the United States plans to replace China's influence in the region. Given President Trump did not identify China as an adversary in his recent State of the Union address, the failure to use the Shield of the Americas Summit to more seriously address the China threat in the Western Hemisphere suggests a lack of clarity, and perhaps a lackluster commitment, to what should be a top policy objective on its own."
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 3 - March-April, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/MS560312.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca