PANAMA — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could investigate US military actions in Latin America during a speech in Panama on August 12. Hegseth made the statement while announcing strengthened joint operations with Latin American nations against drug cartels and pledging to strengthen a military coalition launched in March.

Hegseth called on all members of the coalition to reject the ICC as part of a Trump administration effort described as an “all of government” campaign to disable the court. “To be clear, there is no legitimate basis for the ICC’s lawless power grab that they will entertain anywhere they can in the world,” Hegseth said. He defended the legality of current operations, stating, “Our efforts in this effort are 100 percent lawful under the laws of armed conflict.”

Colombia will become the 19th country to join the Shield of the Americas, also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (ACCC). He said Colombia had requested that the US Defense Department join the nation in its fight against narco-terrorism, authorizing joint military operations to destroy terrorist networks. The US State Department said it would seek to give Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella a $1 billion security package. De la Espriella was inaugurated last week and pledged an “all-out war” on organized drug crimes and rebel groups during his inauguration.

He reported significant reductions in illicit maritime traffic since the campaign began. He stated there was at a minimum a 65 percent reduction in narco-vessel movements in the Western Caribbean, a 60 percent reduction in the Eastern Caribbean, and a nearly 50 percent reduction in the Eastern Pacific. “We have knocked the narco-terrorists in the maritime domain on their heels,” he said. He added that Honduras and Guatemala were inviting the United States to partake in combined operations against narco-terrorists in their countries.

A report published by the Washington Office on Latin America in July documented that at least 221 people had been killed in US strikes since September 2025. The authors of the report described the killings as murder under domestic law and extrajudicial killings under international human rights law. Monitors have noted a high likelihood that civilians, including fishermen, passengers, and victims of human smuggling, may have been killed in the attacks. Amnesty International said that civilians in Ecuador faced attacks and abuses under the US-Ecuador campaign, which included a joint operation targeting drug traffickers in March.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino spoke ahead of Hegseth on Wednesday, identifying drug trafficking as the primary threat to regional stability. “The first enemy that we have is drug trafficking. Drug traffickers, and the branches of organised crime that this brings,” Mulino said.

He warned that if the enemy becomes bigger and stronger, it would disintegrate societies. Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Caracas will move forward with a previous decision to withdraw from the ICC. The ICC has not announced any investigations into US military actions in Latin America.

US officials have emphasized that all operations conducted under the coalition are in compliance with international law and are strictly focused on dismantling transnational criminal organizations. Hegseth reiterated that the United States remains committed to working with regional partners to enhance security and stability across the hemisphere. He stressed that the coalition’s actions are defensive in nature and aimed solely at disrupting illicit networks. The Defense Department has stated it will continue to monitor the ICC’s activities and respond accordingly to any perceived threats to US personnel or operations.