Joint Interagency Task Force West

The Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATFW, JIATF-W, or JIATF West) is a United States federal task forces with the responsibility to combat illegal drug trade-related transnational organized crime in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific area of responsibility for JIATF West includes 36 nations and nearly half of the world's population. JIATF West is one of two Joint Interagency Task Forces with a counter-narcotics mission. The other is Joint Interagency Task Force South. The task force is run as the "executive agent" of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) and is charged with providing U.S. Department of Defense "support to law enforcement for counterdrug and drug-related activities." Approximately 166 active duty and reserve U.S. military forces, Department of Defense civilian employees and contractors, and U.S. and foreign law enforcement agency personnel are members of the task force. 

The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the United States Department of State describes the task force's mission as to "[i]n cooperation with U.S. interagency and foreign partners, conduct activities to detect, disrupt, and dismantle drug-related transnational threats in Asia and the Pacific in order to protect U.S. security interests at home and abroad." 

JIATF West lists its "task force partners" as including the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and the Australian Customs Service, Australian Federal Police, and New Zealand Police. 

The Director of the Task Force is Rear Admiral James E. Rendon. 

History
JIATF West was established in 1989 as Joint Task Force-Five (JTF-5), headquartered on Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California. JTF-5 was created after the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1989 established the Department of Defense as the lead agency for the Detection and Monitoring (D&M) of maritime and aerial drug trafficking into the United States and directed the department to carry out these activities in support of U.S. Law Enforcement activities. Joint Task Forces Four (JTF-4), Five (JTF-5), and Six (JTF-6) were activated by the department in early calendar year 1989 to carry out this D&M mission. The mission of the JTFs was expanded by Section 1004 of the 1991 National Defense Authorization Act to include ten additional specific categories of support that the department could provide to law enforcement agencies. This authority is in addition to the already assigned mission of D&M and has been continuously re-authorized since 1991.

In 1994, the newly signed National Interdiction Command and Control Plan (NICCP) redesignated the JTFs as Joint Interagency Task Forces (JIATFs). JTF-5 was redesignated as Joint Interagency Task Force West. JTF-4 was redesignated JIATF East and given responsibility for the Caribbean. Joint Task Force 6 was redesignated JIATF South and given responsibility for the Mexico – United States border. (In 1999, JIATF East was merged with JIATF South).

JTF-5 was designated as Joint Interagency Task Force West in 1994. In 2004, JIATF West was relocated to Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii and collocated with Commander, United States Pacific Command to restructure, refocusing counterdrug efforts exclusively in the Asia-Pacific region. JIATF West serves as the USPACOM's executive agent for all counterdrug and counterdrug-related support to law enforcement in the Asia-Pacific fight against transnational crime.