# U.S. Southern Command security cooperation in South America > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-southern-command-security-cooperation-in-south-america > Updated: 2026-10-14T21:53:36.000Z. Sources: 8. Developments: 2. The United States Southern Command has engaged in high-level diplomatic and military meetings across South America to strengthen security cooperation against organized crime and narcoterrorism. In late September 2026, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña met with U.S. Southern Command Commander General Francis L. Donovan in New York. The discussions focused on the strategic defense alliance between Paraguay and the United States, utilizing the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and Paraguay’s membership in the Americas Coalition Against Cartels (A3C) to combat criminal organizations. Following this, General Donovan traveled to Iquitos, Peru, in mid-October 2026 to meet with Peruvian defense and military leadership. This visit aimed to enhance intelligence sharing and interoperability to address transnational crime, illegal mining, and criminal networks in the Vraem region. These efforts are being conducted within the framework of the A3C and Peru’s participation in the Shield of the Americas. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-14: U.S. Southern Command head visits Peru to combat narcoterrorism U.S. Southern Command head General Francis L. Donovan visited Iquitos, Peru, to bolster security cooperation against narcoterrorism and transnational organized crime. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-southern-command-head-visits-peru-to-combat-narcoterrorism ### 2026-09-26: Santiago Peña meets U.S. Southern Command chief to fight organized crime Paraguayan President Santiago Peña met with U.S. Southern Command head General Francis L. Donovan in New York to strengthen cooperation against organized crime and narcoterrorism. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santiago-pea-and-us-southern-command-head-discuss-crime-cooperation --- Cite as: U.S. Southern Command security cooperation in South America. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-southern-command-security-cooperation-in-south-america