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Joint Interagency Task Force West Box 64033 Camp H.M. Smith, HI 96861-4033
JIATF West, Bldg 700 Elrod Rd, Room 131 Camp H.M. Smith, HI 96861-4033 Attn: Contact Name and Phone Number
DSN: 315-477-9708 /9715 TEL: (808) 477-9708/9715
Individual Information
Director Rear Admiral Bob Little, US Coast Guard
Chief of Staff Captain George Howell, US Navy
Command Master Chief Master Chief Petty Officer Travis Cutler, US Coast Guard
Joint Interagency Task Force West, together with the U.S. interagency and international partners to identify, monitor, and target illicit and malign activities that enable cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations to produce and traffic deadly narcotics that harm U.S. citizens. With a focus on synthetic opioids like fentanyl and associated precursor chemicals traveling from the Indo-Pacific to the Western Hemisphere, JIATF West reduces risks to American lives and threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Joint Interagency Task Force West, together with U.S. law enforcement, the interagency, and partner nations, leverages all-domain capabilities to identify and target illicit drug trafficking, enabling interdiction and apprehension to reduce the flow of drugs, degrade and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations; reduce the risk to American lives and U.S. interests; and reduce threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Organizations that threaten the U.S., its territories, and its interests are denied the ability to traffic illicit drugs and precursor chemicals used to produce illicit drugs in the USINDOPACOM AOR; the environment is less permissive for their activities; and regional partnerships and stability are enhanced.
Since arriving to Hawaii in 2004, JIATF West has developed a strategy with supporting activities to face the particular challenges of the Indo-Pacific region, and to meet the evolving needs of our law enforcement partners. JIATF West works closely with law enforcement leadership partners across the region to increase support to major law enforcement operations and the investigations which support those operations.
Indo-Pacific based criminal enterprises are organized on a business model of networked criminal service providers. The U.S. law enforcement strategy to combat these criminal networks concentrates on long-term criminal investigations in order to prosecute organizations' leadership and seize criminally gained assets. These efforts lead to disrupting and dismantling criminal enterprises.
By joining forces with U.S. and foreign partner law enforcement agencies, we are able to effectively augment and enhance their ability to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal enterprise networks.
Our strategy is built on the premise of interagency cooperation. JIATF West partners with U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies through regional U.S. Embassies and their respective country teams. We bring military and law enforcement capabilities together to combat and reduce transnational crime in the Indo-Pacific.
We offer specific programs to support the above categories:
1989
The U.S. military was given statutory responsibility to detect and monitor aerial and maritime illicit drug shipments to the United States. With this statutory responsibility, came the first iteration of the national drug task forces; Joint Task Force (JTF) FOUR (4) in Key West Fla., JTF FIVE (5), in Alameda, Calif., JTF SIX (6), in El Paso, Texas, and JTF South in Panama City, Panama. JTF 5 ultimately became Joint Interagency Task Force-West (JIATF West).
1994
Three JTFs, JTF-4, 5, and South were re-designated as Joint Interagency Task Forces (JIATFs) with expanded authorities under the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan (NICCP). JTF-4 became JIATF East, JTF-5 became JIATF West, and JTF-6 became JTF North. The JIATFs coordinated and directed the detection, monitoring, and sorting of suspect drug-trafficking aircraft and vessels. Targets were turned over to appropriate U.S. law enforcement authorities for apprehension.
1999
JIATF East became JIATF South. JIATF South is located in Key West, Fla., and continues to conduct counter illicit trafficking operations, intelligence fusion and multi-senior correlation to detect, monitor, and handoff suspected illicit trafficking targets. JIATF South was responsible for the CD Operations in the Caribbean and JIATF West oversaw the Eastern Pacific (EPAC).
2003
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) issued a memorandum delineating the AORs for JIATF South, JIATF West, and JTF North. JIATF South assumed responsibility for detection and monitoring responsibilities as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 124 in a Joint Operating Area (JOA) within the USINDOPACOM AOR that extends west from the USSOUTHCOM AOR boundary, from 092° W to 120° W longitude. This portion of the EPAC was formerly the responsibility of JIATF West. JIATF West retained responsibility for executing CD missions in the remainder of USINDOPACOM’s AOR except for the JOA.
2004
JIATF West relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii from Alameda, Calif. In conjunction with the move, JIATF West developed a strategy with supporting activities to face the particular challenges of the Indo-Pacific region, and to meet the evolving needs of our law enforcement partners. JIATF West works closely with senior law enforcement leadership partners across the region to support major CD Operations.
2017
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) §1004 was the authority under which JIATF West conducted most of its activities in previous years. The 2017 NDAA re-apportioned §1004 to Title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 15, §284 and Title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 16, §333, which now serves as the primary authorities for DoD to provide training to foreign security partners.
Jan 2020
The FY2021 Defense-Wide Review (DWR) directed to “Deactivate Joint Interagency Task Force - West Operations Center/Systems” and transfer residual functions to USINDOPACOM and USNORTHCOM no later than FY 2023.
Aug 2021
DoD Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, and USINDOPACOM recommended reversal of the DWR decision and advocated for retention of JIATF West as a standing task force.
Nov 2021
In response to the DWR reversal, JIATF West formed a Mission Refinement Working Group (MRWG) to determine how to best leverage the TF’s limited resources and to best execute focused missions.
Apr 2022
Secretary of Defense approved the decision to retain JIATF West as a smaller, more focused organization that would concentrate on programs and activities directly supporting the CD and Counter Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC) missions. These programs and activities were to include tracking networks, exploiting intelligence, sharing information, and integrating with partners.
Today
JIATF West brings military and law enforcement capabilities together to combat drug-related transnational crime in the Indo-Pacific Region. JIATF West's top priority is supporting law enforcement in their efforts to reduce the illicit flow of fentanyl, methamphetamine, Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and precursors intended for U.S. markets. JIATF West has four specific Lines Of Effort (LOE):