U.S. Chiefs Lead 34‑Nation Anti‑Narcotics Summit

General Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will convene military leaders from across the Western Hemisphere to coordinate a campaign against narcotics traffickers and related criminal organizations.

The Defense Department said chiefs of defense and senior military representatives from 34 nations will meet to build a shared understanding of regional security priorities and strengthen cooperation. The summit is framed as a multinational effort to align military support, law-enforcement partnerships, and diplomatic initiatives against transnational criminal networks.

Attendees are expected to focus on practical interoperability measures: intelligence sharing and fusion, joint interdiction planning, maritime and air-domain coordination, capacity building for partner forces, and measures to ensure legal and civil‑military alignment. Organizers emphasize that synchronized operations and information exchange are intended to increase pressure on trafficking routes while minimizing unintended impacts on civilian populations.

U.S. defense officials say the meeting aims to create clearer operational frameworks and predictable channels for multinational cooperation across the hemisphere.