{"id":48673,"date":"2025-06-12T15:55:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T15:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/12\/hegseth-wont-rule-out-military-actions-against-greenland-panama\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:25:59","slug":"hegseth-wont-rule-out-military-actions-against-greenland-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2025\/06\/12\/hegseth-wont-rule-out-military-actions-against-greenland-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth won\u2019t rule out military actions against Greenland, Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> on Thursday would not rule out the possibility of a future military invasion of Greenland<\/a> and Panama, suggesting to lawmakers the Pentagon may have plans for such a future strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee<\/a>, Hegseth asserted the department \u201cplans for any particular contingency\u201d and said, \u201cI think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressed by Republican lawmakers to dismiss the possibility of such a U.S. military attack on Greenland<\/a> or Panama, Hegseth reiterated that the \u201cPentagon has plans for any number of contingencies\u201d and that officials \u201clook forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats on the panel scoffed at those answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,\u201d said committee ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. \u201cThe message this sends to the rest of the world is one that the U.S. is purely in it for itself, and does not care about alliances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t