SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH: Happened in the halls of Congress; it happens in training centers like this with Americans like this who do really difficult things in really tough places. Not for the timid or the entitled. I can tell you these young Americans are neither timid nor entitled, and they're willing to do things on behalf of the American people that no other class of Americans is able to or willing to. That's why they're the real 1 percent. That's who we're out here to serve.
And that's what we're doing here with the ACCC as well out here with PANAMAX, is expanding peace through strength in our hemisphere, right here in the jungles with our partners in a way that SOUTHCOM just wasn't doing 18 months ago. There was a whole different set of priorities not focused on the Western Hemisphere, not focused on securing the homeland, not focused on making sure we go after drug traffickers and designated terrorist organizations.
Under President Trump, we know exactly what that mission looks like, we're empowering commanders like General Donovan to do it in SOUTHCOM. We're working with partners like Panama, like Ecuador, like Colombia today that became the 19th member of the ACCC. They're going to send students here soon to swim across this very same river, be a part of this very same training. Because it turns out in the hemisphere, they face the very same security challenges, the same threat of drugs, the same threat of criminal cartels that threaten their citizens are the same ones that threaten our citizens.
So, while the United States military secures the southwest border with our law enforcement partners, and you combine that with training like this and capabilities in Ecuador and Colombia and Panama, and all across Central and South America, that's real pressure. That's going after the enemies of our country, designated terrorist organizations — unabashedly. That's why today we launched the motto of the ACCC, which is we do bad things to bad people.
Because for too long, bad people did bad things to good people inside the United States of America and across Central and South America. And we're going to empower great Americans and great partners to do really good stuff and be very capable about bringing violence against drug cartels and designated terrorist organizations, because we're dead serious about securing the homeland.
We're dead serious about the Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which is not just talk, it's not just a policy extension of Teddy Roosevelt. It is a recognition that DTOs, foreign terrorist organizations, will not control our hemisphere with our partners, and we will not allow foreign malign influence to take over, say, key terrain like the Panama Canal.
And that brings us to PANAMAX, the exercise that culminates tomorrow, that we're going to get a chance to look at. Working with thousands of our partners here in Panama to secure key terrain, it hasn't happened for 14 years. It was a tabletop exercise. I have no issue with tabletop exercises or command post exercises, but you can't replicate this. You can't replicate these capabilities and what you learn from actually being out in the environment.
So, I want to thank our partners who are shoulder to shoulder with us. I want to thank SOUTHCOM for charging at the sound of the guns, to President Trump for setting a clear mission that we're going to make this hemisphere fight a real thing. And it is night and day, a year and a half, night — go talk to anybody that looked at SOUTHCOM. I wasn't joking when I talked about what the priorities were; it was gender issues and climate change and diversity. It was like USAID with some guns.
This is a different SOUTHCOM. This is a different mission. We are focused on military capabilities against real threats, who need to be deterred and defeated, and we're going to give them everything they need to do it on behalf of the American people. So, I'm grateful that the press came along with us deep into the jungle here. I bet you've never done an interview quite out here. If you have questions related to this, I'd be happy to answer them, but I would rather not talk politics out here.
Q: Secretary Hegseth, seeing this level of readiness firsthand, and with countries like Colombia joining the US in conducting joint operations, what type of results would you like to see in the short term, sir?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Operational capability, like you saw with the strikes on the drug boats of good DTOs — same effect on land. And so, we're working with Ecuador, we're working with Colombia, we're working with partners to bring the fight to the DTOs on land. Anywhere you traffic drugs, where you threaten the American people or our partners, you are a target, just like ISIS or al-Qaida.
We spent 25 years refining the kill chain on how to diagnose and target networks halfway around the world. How about we take those skill sets with the best Americans and apply it here? And that's why I meant what I said about putting cartels on notice — from all the way down here in the cocaine trafficking to fentanyl and the plazas of Mexico. This is a networked fight that we're empowering SOUTHCOM and NORTHCOM together in the Western Hemisphere to execute ruthlessly.
Not catch and release, not let's put them through a court process where we know they'll be released. We're going to close with and destroy these networks with every capability of the American government.
Q: Mr. Secretary, to follow up on this gentleman's question, you've got most of the countries under the area of responsibility of Southern Command to join the ACCC now. How important was securing Colombia, and is it perhaps the most important link in the chain?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I said it to the Colombia Minister of Defense today, who's been a long partner of the United States, frankly. And so, with the with the election of President El Tigre, he's back in the mix, and rightfully so. I said the ACCC had formed, but in some ways, it missed part of its core.
And with Colombia coming online, and then the changes in Venezuela, which were brought to you by the capabilities of the United States military at Fort Tiuna, we've changed — And by the way, I'd emphasize America is no better friend and no worse enemy. You don't want to mess with us when we have military capabilities. But when trouble happens, like in Colombia or Venezuela, we're the first ones to show up. We're going to bring those beautiful Chinooks and C-17s chock full of experts and supplies. And that's what we've done in Colombia, and that's what we've done in Venezuela. But Colombia is going to be an incredible partner.
They offered to be a headquarters, or a hub, for the ACCC as a brand-new 19th member. They've got hundreds of thousands of capable members of their military, decades of training with the United States. But they've never seen the kind of partner like President Trump and this War Department. And so, we're excited to be able to — we went quickly into details because that mil-to-mil relationship has been long standing. And that's why they're coming to this jungle course soon as well. Yes, we can go here.
Q: Secretary, you now have a 19-member coalition to counter the drug cartels. How much is Chinese influence factoring into the — or how much do they factor in the conversations you had today with these leaders? And, do you feel like the US is making good progress in securing the Panama Canal? I know that's a strategic priority to bring it back into the US control.
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Let's just say country by country it is overwhelmingly clear that the United States of America is the preferred partner of choice. There are a lot of foreign actors that bring in other influences, whether it be China, Russia, Iran — I mean, it was Russian air defenses that were supposed to defend Caracas and didn't work.
There were Cuban guards that were supposed to defend Maduro, and they weren't able to. And now we're seeing the Cubans and the Russians expelled out of Venezuela, and we're seeing a new government in Colombia, and we're seeing new port contracts on both sides of the Panama Canal. You've got a new MOU with Panama. So, our partnership here at Fort Sherman and the jungle school has expanded.
We've got a great ambassador who's making sure that all the economic deliverables we said would happen and military partnerships would happen, actually happen. See, what happens with some of these other countries, whether it's China or Russia or Iran, is that there happens to be a lot of exploitation and self-serving.
And the United States of America shows up, and we want to respect your sovereignty and find ways to mutually work together that are beneficial to you, that empower your people, that bring prosperity to your country. But President Trump has been clear about the Panama Canal. I mean, the United States of America built that canal, secured it with the blood and sweat of a lot of Americans. It's a key piece of terrain.
We've got more troops here in partnership with Panama than we've had in a very long time. PANAMAX is a strategic exercise to defend the Panama Canal. We've got American businesses and CYBERCOM, others involved. So, we're partnering with Panama but, at the same time, we're ensuring that our interests are defended here as well, no doubt. Yes, Phil?
Q: Two questions, one on Colombia. Is the US prepared to strike FARC remnants or ELN in coordination with Colombia? Was there any discussion of going after those groups?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Yes. Yes.
Q: So, is that something that will happen do you think?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Designated terrorist organizations with partner governments will be legitimate targets of the United States government, with partner governments, to include Colombia.
Q: And on Cuba, the president says Cuba will be next. Is there a military role in that?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Like I've said before, and I think you've seen what happened in other cases, all options are on the table to include military options. And I think Cuba would be wise to pay attention to the willingness of President Trump to assert American strategic prerogatives and there's certainly no match for the United States of America.
And if you see what foreign influence has been able to do in our hemisphere, it's been pretty minimal. The Russians and the Cubans and the Iranians and Venezuela, the way that countries have moved toward the United States, toward the ACCC, toward this partnership. They understand where the balance of power lies, especially in this hemisphere, and that certainly pertains to Cuba. So, we're going to have a lot of options there, and we look forward to it.
So, I want to thank — one last question, and then I'm gonna get these folks back to training.
Q: If I may, real quick, when you talk about respect for the sovereignty of countries, is the US considering maybe in the long-term reopening military bases in Panama, is that an option for the Pentagon?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, we are working in partnership with Panama right now rotating forces through, in constant conversations of what benefits them and benefits us. And I think we see a lot of mutually beneficial options, right?
Working with President Mulino, working with their Minister of Defense, Abrego, who have been partners of ours. They know how important the Panama Canal is. It's in their interest to make sure that no malign actors are able to interfere. We're doing the largest exercise we've done in two decades here at PANAMAX. So we're working well with them. And that's because they recognize how important that piece of terrain is, the Panama Canal is to President Trump and the United States of America.
We're going to defend it, make sure no other country can ever hold it at issue. And certainly, this jungle school — it was almost day one, President Trump said, get down there, get the troops out there. What a perfect way to do it to train out here. If you are a Marine or an infantryman, a soldier, this is home right here.
I never did the jungle school, let me tell you that. I know it's next level, but when I see these guys, like, they've got a look on their face like, this is what we signed up to do. And they're — that's — I'm glad you're out here because it's a demonstration — thanks for coming out here — it's a demonstration of the best human beings and Americans our country produces. And they're out here doing stuff like this on a regular basis so that our country can be secure.
So, thanks for covering it. I appreciate you all.