State Department Reallocates $52 Million in Military Aid From Europe, Middle East to Latin America

The Trump administration on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, reallocated $52 million in US military assistance away from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, with the State Department saying the funds would help 'combat narcoterrorism in our backyard' and continue securing the Panama Canal. The shift reflects the administration's renewed emphasis on the Western Hemisphere and closer ties with right-leaning Latin American governments under a revived Monroe Doctrine framing; it follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit the prior week to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, where he pledged additional US support against drug trafficking and illegal immigration.