US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally launched Operation Southern Spear, a major new military campaign aimed at dismantling what the Trump administration calls “narco-terrorist” networks operating across the Caribbean and South American waters. Announced on X, the operation significantly expands the scope, scale, and permanence of offshore US strikes that have already sparked national and international controversy.
Hegseth said the mission will be led jointly by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), describing it as an effort to protect the homeland by destroying drug-trafficking boats before they approach US shores. The campaign marks the most aggressive American military posture in Latin America in decades.
The announcement came after weeks of intensified US strikes on suspected drug-running vessels, with at least 17 attacks killing a minimum of 69 people. While the administration insists the targets were cartel-linked boats transporting cocaine, human-rights groups and members of Congress have raised sharp concerns about lack of transparency, insufficient evidence, and the absence of on-scene verification showing that those killed were combatants.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended the operations, asserting that the US is in an armed conflict with drug cartels. His administration has invoked the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) as its legal basis for air and naval strikes in the Caribbean — a justification that critics say stretches the law far beyond its intent and sidesteps Congress’ exclusive authority to authorize new wars.
As Operation Southern Spear begins, lawmakers from both parties are demanding clearer rules of engagement, independent verification of targets, and a full accounting of casualties. Congressional committees are also questioning whether the administration has provided adequate proof linking the destroyed vessels to drug-trafficking or narco-terrorist organizations.
Despite these concerns, the Pentagon continues to increase its presence in the region, signaling that the administration views the operation as a long-term strategic mission rather than a short-term surge.
