Brazil's 29th Armored Infantry Battalion on exercise.

If I was in charge of the DoD for a day I would emphasize working in the southern hemisphere. I would lock up allies down there and work out defense pacts, have them using only US weaponry and work out production facilities for their own defense industry while paving the way for our corporations to further develop their economies. Brazil? Top of the list. Some other countries are noteworthy too. Mexico comes immediately to mind. I would work to replace their narco-terrorists with cheaply made goods (currently made in China) and pump up their agriculture sector to the max. Brazil and Mexico. Two ready made military and economic allies that we're ignoring while focusing on nations on the other side of the planet.