In an unprecedented gathering of military leadership, defense chiefs from 34 nations across the Western Hemisphere assembled in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural Western Hemisphere Chiefs of Defense Conference. The landmark event, orchestrated by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, marks a significant advancement in regional security cooperation.
Brigadier Telbert Benjamin, Chief of Defence Staff for the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, represented his nation among senior military officials collaborating to address pressing security challenges. The conference established a framework for enhanced partnership mechanisms to counter narco-terrorism, transnational criminal networks, and other mutual threats.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a compelling keynote address urging unified military action against malign actors seeking influence in the region. Hegseth outlined the Trump administration’s renewed commitment to hemispheric security through reinforced application of the Monroe Doctrine, emphasizing expanded cooperation in joint training exercises, intelligence sharing protocols, operational coordination, and strategic basing arrangements.
The strategic dialogue included evaluations of ongoing security initiatives such as Operation Southern Spear, a U.S.-led counter-narcotics operation targeting drug trafficking corridors in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Hegseth emphasized that strengthened military collaboration is imperative for combating drug trafficking, illegal migration patterns, and sophisticated organized crime syndicates.
Antigua and Barbuda’s participation through Brigadier Benjamin demonstrates the nation’s proactive engagement in hemispheric defense discourse and its dedication to fortifying regional security alliances. This conference establishes a new paradigm for collective security architecture across the Western Hemisphere.