“The relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic is rich with history and underpinned by our shared tenets of democracy, trade, and security. Here in New York’s Hudson Valley, I am proud to represent a large Dominican population, whose contributions to our economy, culture, and communities are felt every single day. We are proud to join the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center to announce the release of this comprehensive strategy for greater United States–Dominican Republic integration. This new, imaginative framework will ensure that our bilateral cooperation continues for decades to come—and will lead to the mutual expansion of our economic partnership, shared security efforts, and celebration of each other’s cultures.”

Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY)

“The partnership between the United States and the Dominican Republic is a cornerstone of stability, prosperity, and security in the Caribbean. The Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center has provided a timely report offering strategic recommendations to leaders in both nations as we work collaboratively to deepen economic cooperation, enhance technological integration, and strengthen our shared security. I am honored to join the Council and sector leaders in recognizing this important contribution to advancing the United States–Dominican Republic relationship.”

Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)

As global supply chains realign and geopolitical competition intensifies, the United States and the Dominican Republic have a unique opportunity to deepen economic, security, and institutional ties. By working together across six key strategic pillars both countries stand to enhance resilience, unlock new growth opportunities, and bolster regional stability. DR-US engagement presents the following strategic payoffs:

• Industrial supply chain security: The United States secures critical supply chains, reduces dependence on China, preserves high-value domestic production, and expands exports through integrated co-production. The Dominican Republic shifts from low-cost assembly to higher-value manufacturing, attracts long-term investment, integrates into strategic US supply chains, and develops a skilled, specialized workforce.
• Strategic infrastructure and regional logistics: The United States gains a logistics diversification partner in the Caribbean, enhances US Southern Command disaster and counter-narcotics capacity, enables a neighbor’s exit from Belt and Road-aligned infrastructure, and leverages the Dominican Republic for regional warehousing, transshipment, and space infrastructure. The Dominican Republic modernizes strategic infrastructure, becomes a regional logistics and disaster response hub, attracts investment in cutting-edge sectors such as space, and deepens security and counter-narcotics cooperation with the United States.
• Digital infrastructure and cybersecurity: The United States establishes a secure regional digital hub for the Caribbean, reduces Chinese tech penetration, expands secure cloud and intelligence networks, and strengthens cybersecurity coordination. The Dominican Republic leads Caribbean digital transformation, attracts international tech and data firms, evolves into a regional cybersecurity operations hub, and diversifies into high-value digital services.
• Energy security and critical minerals: The United States secures regional critical minerals and liquefied natural gas (LNG), diversifies supply away from China, supports Puerto Rico’s energy needs, and creates a regional partnership model. The Dominican Republic monetizes mineral resources, modernizes its grid and exports electricity, gains energy sovereignty, and becomes a regional resource development hub.
• Homeland and regional security: The United States locks in a security partner in the Caribbean, prevents regional instability, narcotics flows, and migration crises, reinforces counterterrorism and sanctions enforcement against hostile regimes, and enhances resilience against cyber and hybrid threats. The Dominican Republic strengthens border and national security, secures structured US support against spillovers from Haiti and regional shocks, institutionalizes anti-corruption and rule of law gains across political cycles, and bolsters international standing as a hemispheric security partner.
• Institutional alignment and bilateral mechanisms: The United States builds a resilient alliance with a regional partner, improves policy coordination, enhances diaspora engagement, and models whole-of-government cooperation. The Dominican Republic institutionalizes US–Dominican ties beyond political cycles, grows influence in Washington, engages diaspora capital and talent, and articulates long-term priorities with strategic continuity.

Marino Auffant is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

Enrique Millán-Mejía is senior fellow for economic development at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

This report would not have been possible without the invaluable input, support, and
feedback throughout the research and drafting process of the DR-US Economic Strategy Advisory Group.

This initiative was made possible with the support of ASIEX (Asociación de Empresas de Inversión Extranjera) through a grant from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Dominican Republic.

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Image: Dominican flag photo by aboodi vesakaran via Unsplash; US flag photo by chris robert via Unsplash.