Hegseth Claims All Nations North of the Equator as US Security Perimeter in ‘Greater North America’ Doctrine

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Sunday that every sovereign nation and territory north of the equator — including Greenland, Panama, Ecuador, and Canada — falls within the United States’ “immediate security perimeter,” a doctrine the Trump administration has already begun backing with military force and which NATO allies say threatens the foundation of the alliance.

The announcement came two months after a US military operation captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, and weeks after US and Ecuadorian forces carried out what the Pentagon called “lethal kinetic strikes” against cartel targets inside Ecuador — operations invited by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, but conducted without congressional authorization and despite Ecuadorians having voted in a referendum against allowing foreign military presence in their country.

Speaking at US Southern Command headquarters in Doral, Florida, Hegseth called the framework “Greater North America” and said the administration’s strategic reach stretches “from Greenland to the Gulf of America to the Panama Canal.” He told defense ministers from 17 nations sitting in the room that their countries were part of what he called a shared US-led security neighborhood — a claim made unilaterally, without reference to the consent of those governments.

“Every sovereign nation and territory north of the equator, from Greenland to Ecuador and from Alaska to Guyana, is not part of the Global South,” Hegseth said. “It is an immediate security perimeter in this great neighbourhood that we all live in.”

The 17 nations that attended and signed a joint security declaration — including Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama — framed that document as a reaffirmation of their own “sovereignty.” Hegseth’s remarks claimed those same nations as a US perimeter.

The doctrine’s inclusion of Greenland and Canada has drawn the sharpest international pushback. 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that any US military action on Greenland would spell the end of NATO. 

Trump responded by saying “I don’t need international law” on the question of Greenland, and said preserving NATO and seizing Greenland may be mutually exclusive choices the US would have to make. Denmark, a founding NATO member, has since deployed hundreds of elite Arctic combat troops to Greenland. 

The 2026 US Defense Strategy separately called for guaranteeing US “military and commercial access” to the Northwest Passage — waters Canada claims as sovereign territory. A Canadian Naval Review analysis noted the document “must presume” the US intends to control those straits without Canadian consent. A polling firm found 57.9% of Canadians now believe a US invasion of their country is likely.

The framework is an explicit extension of the Monroe Doctrine — the 19th-century US foreign policy principle asserting American primacy over the Western Hemisphere — which Trump has rebranded the “Donroe Doctrine.” 

Trump designated cartels from Mexico and Venezuela as foreign terrorist organizations early in his term, then declared the US in “armed conflict” with those groups — a legal claim critics say has no basis in congressional authorization, but which the administration has since used to justify at least 44 military strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in at least 150 deaths. Rights groups and legal experts say the strikes may constitute extrajudicial killings under international law.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, addressing the same Americas Counter Cartel Conference, told the assembled defense ministers their governments should disregard legal constraints on the use of lethal force. 

“There is not a criminal justice solution to the cartel problem,” Miller said. “These organizations can only be defeated with military power.” He told the foreign leaders — attending what the Pentagon billed as a security cooperation summit — to ignore their own lawyers: “You have my permission not to listen to them.”

It remains unclear whether “Greater North America” constitutes formal US doctrine or functions primarily as political rhetoric. The Pentagon has not issued a policy directive under that name, and analysts note the framework has no basis in existing treaty law.

Hegseth closed by warning that US action would not depend on allied participation. “America is prepared to take on these threats and go on the offense alone if necessary,” he said.

Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.