WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, this week returned from a visit to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) at Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) in Florida where he engaged with senior Coast Guard Leadership on their drug interdiction mission.

On the visit, Wicker met with Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan and director of JIATF-S Rear Admiral Mark Fedor, with whom he discussed Coast Guard requirements to fulfill their mission. The Coast Guard interdicted more than 150,000 kg of cocaine and 60,000 kg of marijuana last year and has removed substantial amounts of fentanyl this year.

“The national security crisis exacerbated by the cartels is not limited to our southern border. The administration’s weak enforcement policies are causing unprecedented drug trafficking by sea,” Wicker said. “Our Coast Guard is on the front lines of the fight. I appreciated the opportunity to visit with our senior Coast Guard leadership and hear how Congress can help the service meet its mission.”

Read more about Wicker’s work on the border challenge and improving the Coast Guard’s readiness here and here. See photos from the visit here.