The U.S. military leadership will convene military leaders from 34 countries in the western hemisphere, which can be called its "front yard," for a meeting. It is seen as a move to militarily support the western hemisphere–focused security strategy put forward by the Donald Trump administration.
The western hemisphere is a region that encompasses North America, including Canada and the United States, as well as all of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Geographically close to the U.S. mainland, it is cited as a core sphere of influence in the U.S. security strategy.
On the 24th, the New York Times (NYT), citing the Ministry of National Defense, reported that Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will preside over a meeting in Washington on Feb. 11. The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking active-duty general in the U.S. military and the top position that provides military advice to the president and the secretary of defense. Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, is also scheduled to attend. Experts said it is unusual for Chair Caine to personally invite military leaders from 34 western hemisphere countries and hold a meeting.
The invitees include not only Latin American countries but also military leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Denmark, which have overseas territories in the western hemisphere. According to major outlets, the official agenda of the meeting is to strengthen regional cooperation to respond to drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. However, experts speculated that the meeting aligns with the western hemisphere–focused security strategy emphasized by President Trump, the so-called "Donro Doctrine."
The United States is currently expanding its military activity in the western hemisphere. Earlier this year, it arrested President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. It has since continued military operations, including attacking drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific.
In Nov. last year, Chair Caine visited Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean nation, to discuss regional security cooperation. Afterward, the Trinidad and Tobago government agreed to allow the U.S. military to use its airports. The U.S. Marine Corps is currently operating a long-range surveillance G/ATOR radar deployed in the area. This is analyzed as part of the process by which the United States has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean.
The U.S. Ministry of National Defense is reportedly reviewing a strategy that prioritizes stability in the western hemisphere over direct military confrontation with China. Bloomberg interpreted it as a signal that the United States intends to focus its capabilities on controlling the western hemisphere rather than on distant conflicts.
China's state-run Global Times relayed concerns from Chinese experts that the United States could use this meeting as a tool to demand alignment with its own strategy.