# What is "Shield Of The Americas" and what does its Envoy do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 5, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241 "2026-03-05T22:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/1 "2026-03-05T22:46:01Z")
Apparently the President just named the new Envoy of the Shield Of The Americas, and I want to know about this organization and Envoy. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/2 "2026-03-05T22:51:12Z")
It’s a newly created position. From the New York Times, > Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/3 "2026-03-05T22:55:21Z")
Is it a position the Congress would need to approve? ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/4 "2026-03-05T23:06:57Z")
No. Or rather, it’s not possible to know right now. Generally, per the Appointments clause of the Constitution, the Senate must approve Principal officers and (some) inferior officers. Principal officers are Federal Judges, Attorneys, Ambassadors, and Department heads, etc.; for inferior officers it just depends, but usually not. Here, since this is not a real federal agency Noem is being appointment to, there cannot be an actual position (j_ust something that might happen in the future_). So I don’t know, but I’d doubt it. Special envoys in other real agencies do not need Senate approval. You do usually need Congress to create by statute a (real) new executive agency. Late: To be clear, there is no agency called Shield of America. At best, it’s a new initiative that might do something in the future. Or said differently, Noem was fired and given an imaginary job. If she ends up reporting to someone at DHS, then it’s just a low level job in DHS or State, etc.(not a principal or inferior officer) that does not require Senate approval. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/5 "2026-03-05T23:18:10Z")
According to **Alexa+** , > “The Shield of the Americas is a newly launched security initiative by President Donald Trump focused on enhancing cooperation and safety across the Western Hemisphere. This plan aims to enhance security collaboration across the Western Hemisphere, focusing on border security and crime prevention.” Another attempt to isolate the US from all the badness in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/6 "2026-03-05T23:18:42Z")
So how does the “Shield of the Americas” respond when a certain North American country attacks a certain South American country? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/7 "2026-03-05T23:20:25Z")
It’s not like NATO. It’s about protecting us from the rest of the Western Hemisphere.. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/8 "2026-03-05T23:21:26Z")
That already exists the [OAS](https://www.oas.org/en/) But even the famously U.S. dominated OAS is not servile enough for Donald Trump, evidently. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/9 "2026-03-05T23:22:05Z")
Wifey used to work with someone who wasn’t exactly fired, but was promoted to a dead-end job with no responsibility or influence, probably with the hope that he would quit. His name was Areo. We refer to such ‘promotions’ as ‘being Areo’ed’ She’s been Areo’ed. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/10 "2026-03-05T23:33:43Z")
It’s her off-ramp. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/11 "2026-03-05T23:40:43Z")
Maybe it is something to do with the Peace Board? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/12 "2026-03-05T23:56:11Z")
Also, since it refers to “The Americas”, have any other American countries, North, South or Central, shown any interest (or even knowledge) concerning this? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/13 "2026-03-05T23:58:15Z")
The current criminal regime is of course criminal through and through and this new initiative and the people working on it are criminal too. But Presidents have been appointing folks to real but made-up jobs since forever. Anyone remember the succession of “Drugs czars” meant to coordinate the multi-agency response to the “drug war” since Johnson? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/14 "2026-03-06T00:03:01Z")
[Moderating] The second part of this post, about Presidents inventing positions to appoint people to, is on-topic. But the first part is inappropriate for FQ. To the OP: The Factual Questions answer is that it only means whatever meaning Trump assigns to it, and he hasn’t assigned any meaning to it yet. Would you prefer this thread to be moved to P&E, for further discussion? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/15 "2026-03-06T00:13:13Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > According to Alexa+, “The Shield of the Americas is a newly launched security initiative by President Donald Trump focused on enhancing cooperation and safety across the Western Hemisphere. This plan aims to enhance security collaboration across the Western Hemisphere, focusing on border security and crime prevention.” So basically what Kamala Harris was doing during the Biden presidency, but now with a comic book name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/16 "2026-03-06T00:27:54Z")
Sure. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/17 "2026-03-06T00:32:59Z")
Moved to P&E (from FQ). ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/18 "2026-03-06T00:39:33Z")
It’s a consolation prize. It’s a participation ribbon. It’s a sinecure. “Thanks for playing, Kristi Gnome, now go away.” ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/19 "2026-03-06T01:19:06Z")
**Moderating:** @dolphinboy, I’ve reformatted you post a bit (zero changed content) to comply with our new AI documentation efforts. We’re currently trying to **bold** the source AI and put the content in quote boxes from the formatting bar so that it’s always visually distinct. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241/20 "2026-03-06T01:39:04Z")
That’s exactly what it is. I don’t think any country in the Americas, North and South, has asked the US to provide a shield. Nor have they said “Thank you, we really needed an envoy for a position we had no say in appointing, for a body we had no say in creating.” So it’s basically a nothing position, a sinecure, as you said, but with a really cool title. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-shield-of-the-americas-and-what-does-its-envoy-do/1028241.md?page=2)