Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Telbert Benjamin joined several of his fellow military chiefs from across the Western Hemisphere for a rare joint meeting convened by the United States, in a bid to combat drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.

The Western Hemisphere Chiefs of Defense Conference, held February 10-11 in Washington, was the first time any such meeting has been convened, and it comes following military action in the region by the US.

In recent months, much of the Western Hemisphere has witnessed the US take military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea, alleged to have been smuggling drugs and the deposing of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro over “narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption”.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth opened the conference by emphasizing the need for regional cooperation against what he termed “narco-terrorists” operating in the hemisphere, according to a readout of the discussions.

Newly appointed head of the US military’s Southern Command which oversees operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, General Francis Donovan pushed for better coordination to combat drug-trafficking and transnational criminal groups in the region, according to the New York Times.

The United States’ Joint Staff Spokesperson Joseph Holstead said that participating Chiefs of Defense discussed sustained military-to-military engagement to address shared regional security challenges.

“General Caine highlighted the importance of building trust, deepening relationships, and working together to advance collective security across the hemisphere,” Holstead said.