Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Batallon Paraiso military complex in Barranquilla, Colombia (Photo: Reuters)
The Trump administration is redirecting $52 million in US military assistance from four countries in Europe and the Middle East to governments in Central and South America, as Washington steps up its focus on the Western hemisphere. The move follows secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week, where he pledged additional US support. The Trump administration has increasingly made the Western hemisphere a priority, particularly in efforts to tackle drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
The state department notified Congress on Tuesday that foreign military financing earmarked for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq would be redirected for Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
The state department said the newly redirected funds would be used to “combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal,” arguing that the Western Hemisphere has historically received less US military assistance. The department said the existing allocation of military financing does “not align with the administration’s prioritization of” the Western Hemisphere. The decision is also the latest in a series of steps that have reduced US financial assistance or troop deployments in Europe. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato allies over defence spending and other issues. At the same time, the administration has strengthened its engagement with right-wing governments across the Americas, as Trump embraces a renewed interpretation of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine that asserts US dominance in the region.