By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 17, 2025 | Several congressmen on the House Armed Services Commission had a hard time believing their ears last Thursday.
It seemed that the Department of Defense, headed by a newcomer with no managerial experience, Pete Hegseth, was saying the United States has plans to invade foreign nations, namely Panama and Greenland.
Among the congressmen, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio asked: ““It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?” As Hegseth started to repeat his answer about contingency plans, Turner added emphatically, “I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony.”
The Hegseth response didn’t help much: ““We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.”
What was that? Was it just double-talk by the former Fox commentator? Sure sounded like it.
Hegseth’s refusal to give a direct answer to the House Armed Services Committee alarmed Democrats and Republicans, who repeatedly asked him to clarify the Pentagon’s stance toward two territories eyed by President Donald Trump.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington asked the secretary whether the Defense Department has plans to take Greenland or Panama by force if necessary.
“Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency,” Hegseth said multiple times.
Smith followed up, “Including the contingency of basically invading Denmark?”
“Any contingency you need, we’ve got it,” Hegseth answered. “We got a building full of planners, and we’re prepared to give recommendations whenever needed.”
Later Smith said: “I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland. The 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.”
The New Republic added: “The White House also has plans to conduct an expensive public relations campaign to convince Greenlanders that they actually want to be Americans.”
Now let’s consider. Of the possible plans that Secretary Hegseth seems to be saying that the Defense Department has, are they any different from the plans that Russia must have had before it launched an offensive and took over the Crimea? Or is the Hegseth idea any different from what Russia was planning when it started invading Ukraine?
Consider: an invasion is essentially the beginning of a war, something that Pete Hegseth cannot unilaterally authorize. That takes congressional action. Is Pete Hegseth overstepping his bounds when he says that the United States has plans for invading other nations? And we might add that no doubt this would be at a high expenditure … just to make the plans! Is Hegseth wasting our Pentagon tax funds when he prepares for such invasions?
Though the United States has often been at war, the American people are a peaceful one, no liking to get involved in actions that will kill our soldiers for no good reason. We’ve gone to war when it threatened us, but so far, we seen no threat from Panama or Greenland, which is the property of our NATO friend, Denmark.
We’ll give Pete Hegseth one mark: he really knows how to muddy the waters. That’s because he’s unqualified for this high office, and doesn’t have the background to adequately lead the Defense Department. His action tells us a lot: Every college graduate, even of Princeton, is not smart.
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