Adam Smith Asks Pete Hegseth Point-Blank If the U.S. Plans to Invade Greenland or Panama - Liberal Lens [View all]

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This was not a theoretical debate — it was a question about democracy, restraint, and the use of military power.

During a congressional hearing, Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a question few Americans ever expected to hear: does the United States have plans to invade Greenland or Panama if necessary?

Smith made clear that this was not about denying strategic realities or global competition. It was about whether military “planning” is being allowed to blur into political intent — especially when it involves the potential use of force against sovereign allies.

Hegseth responded by emphasizing that the Pentagon plans for all contingencies. But Smith pressed the deeper issue: elections are not mandates for conquest, and democracies are defined by restraint as much as strength.

This exchange matters because language shapes policy. When leaders refuse to draw clear lines between defense and aggression, uncertainty replaces accountability — and that uncertainty carries real global consequences.

Watch closely. Oversight exists to force clarity before norms are broken, not after.