Under Secretary Elbridge Colby Says U.S. Will Use All National Security Resources to Confront Threats in the Western Hemisphere

“The Western Hemisphere, and especially the neighboring regions of Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, are critical in ensuring the security of the American homeland and thus the security and prosperity of regular Americans,” said Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, who represented the United States at the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA), held this week in Cusco, Peru.

In his remarks, Under Secretary Colby highlighted the Trump Administration’s renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere, stating that the United States will prioritize regional security and use all of its resources, including military capabilities, to confront threats such as drug trafficking and organized crime. He also explained the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with allied countries across the hemisphere.

At the conference, the Under Secretary stated that the Trump Administration is redefining its approach to the Western Hemisphere based on the principles of the “America First” policy and a “flexible realism” approach. 

This new strategy seeks to align defense policy with the everyday concerns of Americans, including drug trafficking, violence linked to organized crime, and illegal immigration. He said these challenges were key factors in President Donald Trump’s election and that the Administration is fulfilling its commitment to addressing them.

Colby explained that this strategy involves the entire Trump Administration, with the Department of War playing a central role. He noted that this approach has been outlined by President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the “Shield of the Americas” event, as well as by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Stephen Miller at the Americas Counter Cartel Conference, where the Administration has presented its strategy to strengthen security and cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.

The Donroe Doctrine

The Under Secretary highlighted the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, also known as the “Donroe Doctrine,” as a key component of the United States’ national security and defense strategy. He explained that this approach calls for the U.S. to protect its homeland and access to strategic areas across the hemisphere, while preventing external adversaries from deploying forces or capabilities that could pose a threat in the region.

He said this vision is based on what he described as the proper interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine: a policy aimed not only at protecting U.S. interests, but also at strengthening the independence, security, and prosperity of Latin American and Caribbean nations through cooperation and support.

The great mistake of abandoning the Hemisphere

Colby opened his remarks by stating that, over the past three decades, the United States had placed the challenges of the Western Hemisphere on the back burner while dedicating much of its security focus to conflicts in distant regions. He said that, beginning with President Trump’s first Administration, there was a shift in approach, once again making America’s “neighborhood” a strategic priority.

"In a way, focusing our strategy and especially our military on the Western Hemisphere and the problems we face here seemed to many of the bien pensant grubby, beneath the dignity of our armed forces. To those panjandrums of the global liberal elite, dealing with the growing scourges of drugs, unchecked migration, and rampant criminality was at best inappropriate and at worst improper." Colby said. 

The Under Secretary argued that decades of focusing attention on distant external threats while neglecting challenges closer to home had serious consequences for the United States and its allies. In that regard, he highlighted the impact of drug trafficking and the violence associated with organized crime, saying that the number of Americans who have died as a result reaches levels comparable to some of the most costly wars the country has faced, including the losses recorded during the Civil War.

Deploying all U.S. resources to combat threats in the Hemisphere

Colby said the United States will use all the resources of its national security apparatus, including its armed forces, to confront threats affecting the Western Hemisphere. He noted that narcoterrorist groups in the region will face the same level of determination that Washington has applied when confronting terrorist organizations in other parts of the world.

He said this approach was already reflected in Operation Southern Spear, in which the Department of War took an offensive posture against narcoterrorist threats — not to replace other efforts, but to complement and strengthen them.

U.S. has no interest in an exploitative or subordinate relationship

The Under Secretary emphasized that Washington is not seeking a relationship with its regional partners based on exploitation, subordination, or dependency. Instead, he said that the United States’ interest under the Monroe Doctrine is to promote the success of countries across the hemisphere through greater prosperity, security, and stability.

“Well, to be very candid, the fact is that America doesn't need your assets or your dependency. The fact of the matter is that America is an enormous country, by far the world's most powerful state, with the world's largest and most dynamic market, its most productive economy, its dominant currency, splendid stores of raw materials, close security and economic relationships around the world, and so forth. The upshot of all this is that we do not need imperial possessions or dependencies, even from a strictly realpolitik point of view.”

He explained that the United States and countries across the region share the same geographic environment, meaning that security and defense decisions made in the hemisphere have a direct impact on Washington. In that regard, he highlighted that challenges originating in the region, such as drug trafficking and organized crime, create consequences that also affect the United States.

Citing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, he added that “our borders should be the last line of homeland defense, not the first."

For Colby, a sustainable solution requires countries in the region to become stronger, more prosperous, and more secure, as more stable societies reduce incentives for activities such as drug trafficking and address the factors driving irregular migration.

The Under Secretary concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the Trump Administration seeks to build a new relationship with its hemispheric partners based on strength and cooperation. “We want strong, reliable, and effective partners, not feeble and dependent ones,” he said.