SOUTHCOM Establishes Permanent Task Force, Expanding Air & Space Role
U.S. Southern Command has transitioned Joint Task Force-Southern Spear into a permanent action arm, Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere, significantly expanding long-term Air Force and Space Force ISR, logistics, and multi-domain operations across Latin America.
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has formally established Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM), permanently replacing the temporary Joint Task Force-Southern Spear structure. Led by Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrad, this purpose-built headquarters serves as SOUTHCOM’s primary action arm to counter transnational criminal organizations and secure the region. The permanent task force operates in tandem with the 18-nation Americas Counter Cartel Coalition—which includes key regional partners like Ecuador, El Salvador, and Honduras—imposing sustained operational tempo and multi-domain pressure across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The structural pivot institutionalizes an expanded, enduring footprint for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. Operating primarily through the 12th Air Force and the 612th Air Operations Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) provides the vital backbone for command and control (C2), rapid air mobility, logistics, and persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Over the 10-month execution of Operation Southern Spear, AFSOUTH demonstrated the scale required for this mission set, executing 1,700 sorties, airlifting 27,000 tons of cargo, and directing operational control over 150 aircraft across 15 land bases.
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