Greater North America (GNA):
Implementing the National Defense Strategy Through a New Strategic Map
10 September 2026 - National Defense University
Co-sponsored by the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS),
the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, and the
Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.
Conference Overview: On September 10, 2026, the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, and the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies are hosting a half-day conference to explore how the Department of War (DoW) is implementing the National Defense Strategy (NDS) in the Western Hemisphere. On March 5, 2026, Secretary of War Hegseth referred to a new strategic map called “Greater North America” (GNA), which encompasses every sovereign nation and territory north of the equator, from Alaska to Greenland and Ecuador to Guyana. This event will convene policymakers, military leaders, regional partners, and industry experts to discuss the implications of GNA for hemispheric security and inform a forthcoming INSS study on the GNA concept. Discussions will focus on practical approaches and burden-sharing to defend the U.S. Homeland, protect critical infrastructure and key terrain in the Western Hemisphere, and enhance warfighting readiness to inform DoW’s contributions to hemispheric defense.
Conference Program
Master of Ceremonies: Mr. Zachary Watson, Senior Advisor, Americas Security Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Policy
0730 Conference opens
0745-0840 Networking Breakfast
0840-0845 Welcome Remarks: Ambassador Roxanne Cabral, Senior Vice President, National Defense University
0845-0900 Keynote: HON M. Roosevelt Ditlevson, Assistant Secretary of War for Homeland Defense and Americas Security Affairs
0900-0915 Introductory Remarks: Mr. Joseph Humire, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Americas Security Affairs
0915-1030 Hemispheric Security: Combatting Narco-Terrorism Along the Southern Security Perimeter of GNA
Establishing GNA ensures the United States’ immediate land borders and coasts are the last line of Homeland defense, not the first. DoW’s renewed focus on the Americas enhances burden-sharing to counter narco-terrorists and secure critical infrastructure and key terrain in defense of the U.S. Homeland and in partnership with key militaries in the Western Hemisphere. The discussion will examine the strategic logic underpinning GNA in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it will explore how DoW is working with partner nations to align priorities in pursuit of collective hemispheric defense.
• Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo Rendón; Minister of Defense for Ecuador
• Brigadier General Ruddy Arias Rodriguez; Deputy Minister for Strategy and Planning, Ministry of Defense for Colombia
• Mr. Joseph Humire, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Americas Security Affairs
• Moderator: COL John Suggs, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
1030-1100 Coffee Break
1100-1215 The Northern Approach: Homeland Defense, the Arctic, and Securing Key Terrain
This discussion will identify the key characteristics of the northern half of the new GNA strategic map, focusing on the Arctic and North American continental defense. Panelists will assess how operations and investments in the northern half of GNA contribute to a more secure Homeland, counter non-hemispheric state actors’ efforts to control key terrain and help ensure access to emerging resource opportunities and sea lanes.
Speakers:
• RADM, USCG (Ret.) Matt Bell, Ted Stevens Center
• Paul Dodge, Arctic Director, Americas Security Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Policy
• Moderator: Dr. Lisa Aronsson, Institute for National Strategic Studies
1215-1225 Wrap Up, Mr. Joseph Humire, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Americas Security Affairs
1225-1230 Closing Remarks, Dr. Denise Natali, Director, Institute for National Strategic Studies