Joint Chiefs Chairman Issues Rare Invitation to Foreign Military Heads

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics on X

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is convening a rare meeting next month of dozens of military chiefs from across the Western Hemisphere, another sign of the region’s rising prominence in the Trump administration.

Top military leaders from 34 countries, including nations such as Denmark, Britain and France that have territories in the area, have been invited to the gathering in Washington on Feb. 11. It is expected to focus, in part, on enhancing regional coordination in fighting drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.

After the U.S. commando raid this month that seized President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, and this week’s contentious debate between President Trump and European allies over the future of Greenland, the unusual gathering casts a spotlight on the potential military implications of the administration’s “Donroe Doctrine” and a new security strategy that prioritizes the Western Hemisphere.

“Participating defense leaders will explore the importance of strong partnerships, continued cooperation, and united efforts to counter criminal and terrorist organizations, as well as external actors undermining regional security and stability,” General Caine’s office said in statement on Friday.

While General Caine and top aides have sought to cast the meeting in terms of enhancing security cooperation among regional partners, it comes at a fraught time for Washington’s relations with its immediate neighbors as well as allies in Europe.

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada delivered a stark speech in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, describing the end of the era underpinned by U.S. hegemony. He called the current phase “a rupture.”

The United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow American military forces or C.I.A. officers to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs inside the country, according to U.S. officials. The push comes as Mr. Trump presses the Mexican government to grant the United States a larger role in the battle against drug cartels that produce fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.

This week saw the on-again, off-again fight over Greenland escalate and then cool off. Mr. Trump has said the United States needs Greenland for national security. After previously threatening to seize the island by force, he signaled this week that he was open to compromise.