Pentagon Promotes a Revamped Monroe Doctrine in Latin America

On July 8, 2026, in Cusco, Peru, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby told the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas that the administration is pursuing a revamped Monroe Doctrine — informally dubbed the "Donroe Doctrine" — asserting renewed U.S. primacy across the Western Hemisphere, according to Reuters. Colby described a policy shift under which the U.S. military began striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in the fall and, he said, deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, and he said the Pentagon plans joint counter-narcotics strikes with partner nations, a practice already underway in Ecuador.

Colby framed the doctrine as "empowering" Latin American nations and urged them to raise defense spending and guard "critical assets" from outside powers such as China, while rejecting comparisons to European colonial empires. Critics cited in the coverage characterized the rhetoric as modern-day imperialism. The remarks signal a more assertive, militarized U.S. posture in the region at a moment when several countries have elected right-wing, pro-Trump governments.

The speech describes an evolving policy direction rather than a single binding action; the scope of any further joint strikes and partner commitments remains to be defined.