PERU · SECURITY
Key Facts
- The country Peru, a mining country on South America’s Pacific coast, shares a long Amazon border with Colombia, where its army keeps remote jungle posts.
- What happened On Wednesday 14 October, Defence Minister Rafael Belaunde met US Ambassador Bernie Navarro and US Southern Command chief General Francis L. Donovan in Iquitos.
- The aim Closer military cooperation against transnational organised crime and illegal mining, with an exchange of experience on intelligence and joint military exercises.
- The framework On 10 September Peru formally joined Shield of the Americas, a security initiative tied to the anti-cartel coalition the Trump administration launched in March.
- Next target The talks laid groundwork for wider action against drug networks in the VRAEM, the remote valleys of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers.
- Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 54.7 points (October 2026 edition).
Peru and the United States moved on Wednesday 14 October to step up their fight against illegal mining and drug cartels. Peru’s defence minister, Rafael Belaunde, met US Ambassador Bernie Navarro and the head of US Southern Command in the Amazon city of Iquitos.
Southern Command runs US military operations across Latin America and the Caribbean, so the visit ties Peru’s crime fight closer to Washington. Peru’s Defence Ministry said the talks covered intelligence, joint exercises and wider action against drug networks in a remote valley region.
What Peru and the US Discussed in Iquitos
According to Peru’s Ministry of Defence, known as Mindef, the meeting aimed to strengthen bilateral military cooperation against threats both countries share. The officials discussed steps to work more closely against transnational organised crime and illegal mining, the ministry said.
Both delegations also traded experience on intelligence work and on joint military exercises, according to the ministry. The talks laid the groundwork for wider action against what it calls narco-terrorist networks in the VRAEM, the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro river valleys.
The ministry summed up the visit on X with the words “two countries, one objective: strengthening security.” Lima radio and news network Exitosa reported that the meeting took place on Wednesday 14 October in Iquitos.
Who Met in the Amazon
Rafael Belaunde is defence minister in the conservative government of President Keiko Fujimori and has pushed for a tougher military role against crime. Bernie Navarro, a real estate finance executive picked by President Donald Trump, is the US ambassador to Peru.
General Francis L. Donovan, a US Marine and former vice commander of US Special Operations Command, leads US Southern Command. General César Briceño, head of the Joint Command of Peru’s Armed Forces, accompanied the visitors throughout their programme.
A Flight to the Colombian Border
As part of the visit, Belaunde, Navarro and Donovan flew aboard a US military V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off like a helicopter. They landed at El Estrecho, a Peruvian military post on the border with Colombia, the ministry said.
The delegation then visited the Putumayo and Mariscal Castilla Unified Command, known as CU PUMA, at the Alfredo Vargas Guerra barracks in Iquitos. Its name comes from Putumayo and Mariscal Ramón Castilla, two border provinces of Loreto, the Amazon region whose capital is Iquitos.
Shield of the Americas and the Cartel Coalition
The officials identified openings for cooperation under the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, known as A3C, according to the ministry. Homeland Security Today, a US security news site, reported that this 17-nation military alliance was set up in March.
The coalition took shape around the Shield of the Americas summit that President Donald Trump hosted in Doral, Florida, on 7 March. On 10 September, Peru formally joined the Shield of the Americas initiative that is linked to it, the ministry said.
The scheme aims to fight transnational organised crime through intelligence sharing, military cooperation, training, border security and protection of critical infrastructure. Peru’s entry came less than five weeks before Wednesday’s talks in Iquitos.
Why Peru Wants US Intelligence
Belaunde said the alliance would give Peru intelligence to confront organised crime, which he blamed for killings, extortion and human trafficking. “This alliance will also allow us to have intelligence information to confront organised crime,” he said, according to the ministry.
On 8 October, Belaunde welcomed a new Unified Command Against Organised Crime that joins soldiers and police, including 500 army troops. “The state must regain the offensive in this war,” he said at the time, according to his ministry.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the talks bring the Pentagon’s top commander for Latin America into Peru’s fight against cartels and illegal mining. Any intelligence sharing that follows would link US military information to Peruvian operations on the Amazon border and in the VRAEM.
For companies and investors that buy Peruvian gold, a joint push against illegal mining is a reminder to check where the metal comes from. The talks did not, however, announce any new rules on mineral exports.
For travellers, nothing changes yet in Iquitos, the usual starting point for Amazon river trips and jungle lodges. A guide to Peru’s security and crime situation sets out the wider risks for visitors and residents.
What Is Not Known
The ministry gave no figures for equipment, funding, troop numbers or intelligence systems tied to the new cooperation. It also set no dates for the joint exercises or for the wider action planned in the VRAEM.
Neither government has said whether US personnel would take part in operations on Peruvian soil or only provide information and training. Nor has either side explained how the new steps fit with Peru’s own unified command against crime.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who met in Iquitos on 14 October?
Peru’s defence minister, Rafael Belaunde, met US Ambassador Bernie Navarro and General Francis L. Donovan, head of US Southern Command. General César Briceño, chief of the Joint Command of Peru’s Armed Forces, joined the visit.
What did Peru and the US discuss?
They discussed closer cooperation against transnational organised crime and illegal mining, and traded experience on intelligence and joint exercises. The talks also laid the groundwork for wider action against drug networks in the VRAEM.
What is the VRAEM?
The VRAEM is the valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers, a remote area of the Peruvian Andes and jungle. Peru’s Defence Ministry describes the groups operating there as narco-terrorist networks.
What is Shield of the Americas?
It is a regional security initiative tied to a 17-nation coalition against cartels that the United States set up in March. Peru formally joined on 10 September, and the scheme focuses on intelligence sharing, military cooperation, training, border security and protecting critical infrastructure.
Sources: Ministerio de Defensa del Perú (Mindef), press note on the Iquitos meeting, 14 October 2026; Ministerio de Defensa del Perú (Mindef), press note on the Unified Command Against Organised Crime, 8 October 2026; Ministerio de Defensa del Perú, officials directory, 15 October 2026; Exitosa Noticias, 14 October 2026; Homeland Security Today, Trump Launches 17-Nation Counter Cartel Coalition at Shield of the Americas Summit, March 2026; Andina, President Trump announces Bernie Navarro as new U.S. Ambassador to Peru, 23 May 2025; Air Force Times, Senate approves Donovan as US Southern Command head, 3 February 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief