The updated strategy aims to boost military lethality, deter aggression, confront adversaries and strengthen border security. One official stated the shift reflects the mandate behind Trump’s election, saying the mission is “why Trump was elected.”
Republican voters listed the economy and immigration as top concerns in the 2024 election, both of which Trump has pledged to address. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order instructing U.S. Northern Command to help “seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking and other criminal activities.”
“[Protecting] the border is the top priority for the base, and I think for moderates, too. So this shift is fulfilling that promise,” said one official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the policy.
Defending the homeland has historically been a bipartisan priority, pursued by both Republican and Democratic administrations. The Pentagon continues to rely on a combination of forward-deployed military power, strategic alliances, nuclear deterrence, and missile defence to achieve this goal.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Washington pivoted to counterterrorism, even as China expanded its military power. During Trump’s first term, the Pentagon refocused on great-power competition with China and Russia, a direction maintained under President Joe Biden.
Officials emphasised that China remains central to the NDS, with the Western Hemisphere lens intended to better counter Beijing’s activities in Latin America. “For too long, China, Russia and Iran have been active in Latin America, and Washington’s response has often been somewhere between nonexistent and ineffective,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Bowman warned against an overly militarised approach, arguing that regional challenges also require civilian and economic tools. He stated, “If we take on additional military commitments and requirements and don’t provide the Pentagon commensurate additional resources, readiness will erode. We have seen that movie before, and it is not a good one.”
As part of the strategy, officials said the Pentagon will intensify efforts against drug cartels, including those with links to China. One official noted China’s growing presence in Latin America, particularly near the Panama Canal, which is strategically significant for both Washington and Beijing.
“So the strategy is still very keyed in on defending against China,” the official stressed. Meanwhile, Panama has withdrawn from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and negotiations are under way to transfer control of two ports from Chinese operations to the U.S. firm BlackRock.
Michael Shifter, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, said the Panama Canal is “clearly” important to Trump, but cautioned against repeating U.S. interventionist policies in Latin America. He recalled how Cold War-era military aid led to human rights abuses and warned of similar risks today.
The last major U.S. ground operation in Latin America occurred in 1989 during the invasion of Panama. “I don’t see that the president wants to risk American lives anywhere, and a lot of people got killed in Panama. If he did it in Venezuela, a lot more people would get killed. I think that would be huge risk that I don’t see Trump being prepared to take,” Shifter told Military Times.
Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. military had conducted its third fatal strike this month on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel, underscoring the administration’s focus on regional security threats.
Source: Military Times.
