APRIL 17, 2025 – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Salvadoran Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy to the Pentagon today as part of a bilateral engagement in which the secretary praised the bond shared between the two countries.
“What’s clear to us … is that our relationship with El Salvador is stronger than ever, and it’s only just beginning,” Hegseth told Merino at the outset of the engagement.
Hegseth praised El Salvador’s crackdown on crime in recent years, describing the Salvadoran government’s efforts as “nothing short of a miracle.”
“Your country’s victories over violent cartels and criminal enterprises — groups that terrorized your people and your communities — are a model for all in our hemisphere,” Hegseth said, adding that he and President Donald J. Trump appreciate allies like El Salvador because they “punch above [their] weight.”
Regarding law enforcement from a military perspective, Hegseth said the U.S. is very impressed with the Salvadoran navy’s drug interdiction capabilities.
In December 2023, the U.S. government donated two patrol boats to the National Navy of El Salvador as an example of U.S. commitment to the international fight against drug trafficking.
“We are grateful for your partnership,” Hegseth told Merino.
Hegseth also thanked Merino for the Salvadoran government’s cooperation with U.S. deportation operations, including El Salvador’s recent agreement to take in more than 200 suspected gang members in that country’s maximum security Terrorism Confinement Center.
“El Salvador has set a great example for strong bilateral cooperation … with the United States,” Hegseth said, adding that the U.S. seeks strong allies to help deliver peace through strength.
He also recognized “the many ways in which El Salvador has stood with America over the years” and mentioned that Merino, himself, served as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008 and 2009.
Hegseth emphasized that — just like El Salvador — the U.S. wants the region and hemisphere to be secure, prosperous and sovereign.
“So, we look forward to our discussion today, and we want to thank you — all of you — for joining us,” Hegseth told Merino and his delegation before moving on to the private portion of the engagement.
Today’s meeting was another example of the Defense Department’s further engagement with the United States’ South and Central American allies.
Hegseth returned from a three-day trip to Panama, April 9, 2025, during which the U.S. signed agreements with that country to jointly strengthen the security of the Panama Canal and increase bilateral military exercises in an effort to deter China’s “maligned influence” in the region.
By Matthew Olay, DOD News