Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby

I am profoundly honored to begin work under President @realdonaldtrump & @secdef as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. I am also very grateful to @VP, including for swearing me in last week. 🧵1/

This is not to say allies and partners should give up spending more or investing in their own DIB. *To the contrary.* More spending will help us all, and especially our allies’ own security. And we welcome allies’ investment in their own DIBs, but in ways that are collaborative with America’s rather than trying in vain to replicate or supplant it. 7/7

At the same time, American companies are at the forefront of advanced technology. There is no credible free world alternative to American tech and its implications for defense. 6/

There is a great deal of hubbub about a collective “middle powers”strategy these days. At DoW, we are not concerned that this is a serious possibility. Rather, we are more concerned that a few allies and partners will *think it is* and waste valuable time, money, and political capital on a distraction. 1/

We look forward to working closely and actively with all Hemispheric countries that want to create a future Western Hemisphere defined by security and prosperity. But to get there will require clarity, realism, resolve, and strength. We are ready to get down to business. 4/4

Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, America has adopted a new approach to Hemispheric defense focused on concrete results. This approach is in our interests—but also in our partners’. I therefore called on partners to work with us now to reestablish deterrence against narco-terrorists, secure our critical assets & key terrain, and increase their own defense spending to effectively deal with the threats we all face. 3/

Yesterday I had the honor to open the work of the 18th Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas. The conference itself will be held in America in 2028. But that conference will be about measuring results of our critical work with our Hemispheric partners. That important work begins now. 1/

“Under President Trump’s leadership and with the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, we are taking a different and better approach – better not only for Americans but also for you. Together, we have a path not only to a stronger America in this Hemisphere but stronger, more secure, freer, and more prosperous futures for all of you. We want strong, reliable, and effective partners, not feeble and dependent ones.” 26/26

“Meantime, our allies around the world, including in Europe, are now moving toward significantly higher spending – 3.5% on core military spending and an additional 1.5% on security-related expenditures. This is possible here, too.” 25/

“It is an approach that calls on you to employ effective force and government action to dismantle narco-terrorists and secure your borders.  Not merely because this is good for your public safety, but because this allows you to optimize limited resources to enable the conditions for security and prosperity.” 22/

“What we offer is a more realistic and empowering option.  One that does not juxtapose defense against development, like the visions of the past, but that recognizes that defense is a basic prerequisite for national economic development. The Department of War plays a critical part here… Rather, we are reorienting our military and our security apparatus to help you bring greater security and stability and ultimately development to your countries.” 21/

“We will bring all the assets of the United States to address these threats, including our armed forces. This has been amply demonstrated in Operation Southern Spear, where the Department of War has gone on offense against narco-terrorist threats – not to supplant other efforts but precisely to augment them.” 9/

“Moreover, we are your neighbors…We live in the same neighborhood. Thus we are directly affected by the choices you make for the security and defense of your countries. In particular, we are directly affected by negative externalities that spill from the region over into our country. Our people are dying in large numbers because of the drugs that come into our country and the crime that accompanies them. Our society has been harmed and upended by illegal mass migration.  And I need hardly remind you of how much your societies have been harmed by this as well…This makes it very clear that our interest is in your success.” 20/

“We are completely different. We are already, as our Founders put it, an empire of liberty unto ourselves. I say this with pride, of course, not arrogance. It is to provide you with a credible basis for what I am about to say.” 19/

“To be very candid, the fact is that America doesn’t need your assets or your dependency. The fact of the matter is that America is an enormous country, by far the world’s most powerful state, with the world’s largest and most dynamic market, its most productive economy, its dominant currency, splendid stores of raw materials, close security and economic relationships around the world, and so forth. The upshot of all this is that we do not need imperial possessions or dependencies, even from a strictly realpolitik point of view.” 18/

“So, I am going to present this case to you through the lens of candor and realism about our self-interest and yours. My contention to you here is that America’s enlightened self-interest in you is not your exploitation, subordination, or dependency. Rather, to the contrary, our interest as expressed in the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine is actually in your success – in your greater prosperity, security, and stability as free societies.” 17/