War Department leaders prioritize security in the Western Hemisphere

The War Department is prioritizing security in the Western Hemisphere as integral to U.S. homeland defense, Joseph M. Humire, performing the duties of assistant secretary of war for homeland defense and Americas security affairs, told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on March 17, 2026.

Humire said Joint Task Force Southern Border helped seal the Southwest border in record time through deterrence and close partnership with federal law enforcement, adding that “border security is national security.”

He said the department has deployed more than 12,000 service members along the border and established six national defense areas covering 845 miles, or 42% of the border, across Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Border security is being bolstered with counter-unmanned aerial systems and additional miles of border barrier.

Over the last 14 months, Humire said, the department has helped reverse record illegal mass migration into the lowest recorded border encounters in history. “This past January marked the fourth consecutive month decline in border apprehensions, with figures 93% below the historic average,” he added.

Humire said the department is also focused beyond the border. “For the first time in history, the department is going on the offense against designated terrorist organizations and other major cartels in our hemisphere,” he said. He cited Operation Southern Spear, which he said is providing deterrence against narco-terrorism threats in the Americas, with a 30% reduction of drug vessel movements in the Caribbean and a 25% reduction in the Eastern Pacific.

Flows of fentanyl, which Humire called a “weapon of mass destruction,” have dropped by 56%, and cocaine flows by 20%, he said. “That means there are less Americans dying from deadly drugs that have been poisoning our communities and our children for years. In fact, overall, inside the United States, we’ve seen a 20% decline in U.S. drug overdoses in the last year,” he said.

Humire pointed to the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a partnership of South American and Caribbean nations formed earlier this month, which he said is aimed at rooting out narco-terrorism threats through deterrence-focused operations. As of last week, Chile became the 18th member of the coalition. He added that this month, Ecuador became the first country to conduct joint land strikes in Latin America against cartel infrastructure, bringing collective hard power against cartels and increasing burden sharing.

The department is also securing “key terrain, from Alaska to Greenland in the Arctic to the Gulf of America and the Panama Canal and surrounding countries,” Humire said.

Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said NORAD and Northcom are taking on new missions and rapidly implementing innovative approaches to safeguard North America. That approach includes deterring adversaries and defending against threats in all domains, he said, citing efforts that range from intercepting long-range bombers off the coasts of Alaska and Canada to tracking advanced maritime platforms in the approaches to North America and standing ready to defend against long-range missile attacks.

Guillot outlined several focus areas:
– The stand-up of Joint Task Force Gold to address security posed by unmanned aerial systems.
– The command’s designation as the department synchronizer for counter-small UAS activities in the continental U.S.
– Development of a rapidly deployable counter-small UAS fly-away kit to defend critical installations and employ innovative technologies to protect U.S. personnel.
– Accelerated development of new counter-small UAS technologies in partnership with industry, with the aim of providing security in the Arctic.

He said Northcom and NORAD are participating in joint and combined exercises with allies and partners, such as Arctic Edge and Noble Defender. “Trusted relationships are a cornerstone of regional security and homeland defense,” he added.

Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, described four imperatives shaping his command’s posture:
– Strengthening hemispheric command and control by redesigning SOUTHCOM headquarters for strategic-level operations at range, speed and scale.
– Imposing total systemic friction on drug cartels and terrorist networks with the help of partner nations.
– Developing and fielding cost-effective technology for warfighters, aided by autonomous systems, human-machine teaming and all-domain awareness and data sharing for U.S. and partner forces.
– Denying adversarial footholds and undoing influence in the hemisphere, including preventing their ability to position forces or other capabilities that threaten the homeland or regional partners and challenge access to key terrain like the Panama Canal and its approaches.