Hemispheric Defense: Alexander Gray on Greenland, Venezuela, and the Trump Corollary
The New DiplomatistShow Notes
Today on the show, Garrison is joined by Alexander Gray, former Chief of Staff of the National Security Council and currently the CEO of American Global Strategies. Gray briefs listeners on the Trump administration's Hemispheric Defense from Greenland to Venezuela, its significance in light of global security dynamics, and how it reflects a broader pivot in American grand strategy. Gray lays out his interpretation of these developments and what it means for the future of GOP foreign policy priorities in 2028 and beyond.
Alexander B. Gray is the Chief Executive Officer of American Global Strategies LLC, an international strategic advisory firm that he co-founded with former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien. In addition to the day-to-day management of the firm, Mr. Gray’s wide-ranging practice includes the defense, aerospace, maritime, and technology sectors. Mr. Gray most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC), where he directed the daily operations of the National Security Advisor’s immediate office, as well as the budget, personnel, and security functions of the NSC. Previously, he served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for the Defense Industrial Base at the National Economic Council (NEC), the principal Executive Office of the President (EOP) official responsible for matters impacting the defense and manufacturing industrial base, and as the first-ever Director for Oceania and Indo-Pacific Security at the NSC. Mr. Gray is a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC); a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI); a Senior Advisor at the Marathon Initiative; a Senior Nonresident Fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative at The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; a Senior Advisor to the “ReForge Commission” at The Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense Program; and Chairman of the China Readiness Working Group, convened by the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs (OCPA). His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Washington Times, The Oklahoman, National Review, Newsweek, The National Interest, The Hill, The Weekly Standard, Naval War College Review, Strategic Studies Quarterly, and the Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute.
Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast where he conducts interviews with ambassadors, analysts, and experts on a broad range of topics in American foreign policy. Moratto earned an M.S. of International Relations as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) at Liberty University in the United States. He has been published in RealClearDefense, and Pacific Forum International's "Issues & Insights", among other publications. He is the author of Distant Shores on Substack. Guest opinions are their own. All music licensed via UppBeat. Episode recorded on Sept. 30th, 2026
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