Shield of the Americas

The Shield of the Americas (SotA), also referred to by United States officials as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C or ACCC), is a U.S.-led multinational security and political coalition established in March 2026 under U.S. president Donald Trump. Its original focus was cooperation against transnational organized crime, particularly drug-trafficking organizations, through intelligence sharing, law-enforcement coordination and greater use of participating countries' military capabilities.

The coalition originated at United States Southern Command headquarters in Doral, Florida, where the United States and 16 other governments signed the Americas Counter Cartel Conference Joint Security Declaration on March 5. Two days later, Trump hosted twelve Latin American and Caribbean leaders and political representatives at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit at Trump National Doral Miami, publicly launching the initiative and urging participating governments to use military force against cartels and transnational gangs.

During 2026, the initiative developed beyond its founding declaration. SOUTHCOM established Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) in August as a U.S. operational headquarters intended to synchronize military activity with the A3C's 18 partner countries, while Colombia's accession brought the coalition to 19 countries including the United States.

At a second high-level Shield meeting in New York City on September 22, held alongside the Eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly, 15 participating governments broadened the initiative to encompass economic security and multilateral coordination as well as counter-cartel security cooperation. They also announced coordinated measures directed at 24 organizations designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations and proposed consultation under the Rio Treaty.