US plans further troop deployments to fight drug trafficking, Hegseth says

John McCarthyPosted oninBreaking News, Caribbean News, International News, Military News, U.S. Department of Justice

SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday the United States is aiming to allow further deployments of troops and aircraft to tackle drug trafficking.

Speaking in the Dominican Republic, which has authorized the temporary deployment of U.S. elements, Hegseth said he was hoping other countries would accept U.S. military presence on their soil.

“A model that we hope to expand with other countries that want to associate with us to ensure that the drug terrorists… receive this message that we are associating with more countries, with more elements to stop them,” Hegseth said.

He added that the Dominican Republic will continue to help lead the fight against drug traffickers.

The U.S. has ramped up operations in the Caribbean in recent months, including strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels which have killed dozens.

By REUTERS

Reporting by Paul Mathiasen; Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Kylie Madry and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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John McCarthy

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.