PANAMA CITY.– A high-level delegation from the Dominican Republic, led by the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, ERD, is participating in the Americas Coalition Against Cartels (A3C) Forum, which brings together defense and security authorities from nearly 18 countries in the hemisphere in Panama to strengthen regional cooperation against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
The Dominican participation in this important forum reaffirms the country’s commitment to international cooperation efforts aimed at addressing threats that, due to their nature and scope, require coordinated responses, timely information exchange, and higher levels of interoperability among the institutions responsible for defense and security.
Along with Minister Fernández Onofre, the Dominican delegation includes the Vice Minister of Internal Security of the Ministry of Interior and Police, Edwin Eusebio Féliz Brito; the Director of the National Department of Investigations (DNI), Luis Soto; the Director of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Enrique Armando Aguilera Trujillo, ERD; and the Dominican Republic’s liaison for the Shield of the Americas initiative, Brigadier General Edgar Tiburcio.
The joint presence of defense, internal security, and intelligence authorities evidences the comprehensive approach with which the Dominican Republic addresses the challenges derived from transnational organized crime and strengthens its capacity to coordinate actions with allied countries in the hemisphere.
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The meeting, held on August 11 and 12, is hosted by the Government of Panama and takes place in the context of hemispheric cooperation efforts promoted through the Coalition of the Americas Against Cartels. Its sessions address, at a strategic level, the assessment of regional threats, the coalition’s priorities, intelligence sharing, border security, and the coordination of capabilities to confront the logistical, financial, and operational structures of criminal organizations.
The forum features high-level representation from the United States, led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth; the commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), General Francis Donovan; and the United States Special Envoy for Shield of the Americas, Kristi Noem, along with other civil and military authorities linked to the security and defense of the hemisphere.
The presence of these authorities, together with Ministers of Defense and Security, military chiefs, and intelligence officials from the participating countries, gives the meeting a high strategic value as a space to establish coordination mechanisms and define common responses to threats that transcend national borders.
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For the Dominican Republic, its participation constitutes an opportunity to strengthen cooperation channels with the United States and the other participating nations, expand the exchange of information and intelligence, and contribute to the construction of regional mechanisms that allow for anticipating and responding more effectively to the activities of transnational criminal organizations.
Likewise, it allows for positioning the security interests of the Dominican Republic within hemispheric discussions and continuing to strengthen national capabilities for the surveillance and protection of its land, maritime, and air spaces, particularly against drug trafficking, illicit trafficking, and other manifestations of organized crime.
The participation of the Dominican delegation in the A3C Forum reaffirms the Dominican Government’s willingness to continue working together with its regional partners under principles of cooperation, coordination, and respect for the sovereignty of States, understanding that hemispheric security requires shared efforts and increasingly integrated capabilities in the face of common threats.
