SOUTHCOM has significantly intensified its efforts in 2026, including lethal strikes on narco-trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific, joint jungle survival training with partner nations in Panama and Suriname, and major amphibious exercises across the Caribbean. These operations directly target transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels that flood American streets with deadly fentanyl and other poisons while destabilizing neighboring countries. The show of force sends a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate open borders or unchecked cartel activity threatening national security.