US to host all Western Hemisphere military leaders

ISLAMABAD: The United States will host senior military leaders from across the Western Hemisphere next month for a high-level conference, aimed at strengthening regional security cooperation, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) reported on Saturday quoting Reuters.

According to the report, defense chiefs and senior military representatives from 34 nations have been invited to attend the inaugural Western Hemisphere Chiefs of Defense Conference, scheduled for February 11. 

The meeting will be chaired by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, ABC reported.

The conference is intended to provide a platform for military leaders to exchange views on shared security concerns, enhance coordination, and reinforce partnerships across the region, it added.

The US military said countries in the hemisphere are bound by longstanding historical connections and mutual interests that underscore the importance of regional stability.

“Chiefs of defense and senior military representatives from 34 nations will meet to build shared understanding of common security priorities and strengthen regional cooperation," ABC said.

Military officials from countries outside the Americas but with territories in the region, including Denmark, the United Kingdom and France, are also among those invited to participate, according to US media reports.

The conference comes amid heightened US military activity in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, where Washington has intensified operations targeting drug trafficking networks and transnational criminal organizations.

The meeting is expected to align with the Trump administration’s broader national security strategy, which places renewed emphasis on the Western Hemisphere and calls for governments in the region to work closely with the United States on counter-narcotics efforts, border security, and regional stability.

This will mark the first time the Pentagon has convened defense leaders from across the entire Western Hemisphere under a single forum, US media said, describing the gathering as a milestone in regional military engagement.