US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly defended a series of US military air strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that the Pentagon says were used by drug cartels, operations that have resulted in dozens of deaths and growing legal scrutiny at home and abroad. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, Hegseth argued that President Trump has authority to use military force against alleged traffickers "as he sees fit" in order to protect the United States and likened the fight against drug gangs to the post‑9/11 campaign against al-Qaeda. Reports that one September strike included a second bombing run that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage off the Venezuelan coast have prompted accusations of possible war crimes and bipartisan calls in...
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly defended a series of US military air strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that the Pentagon says were used by drug cartels, operations that have resulted in dozens of deaths and growing legal scrutiny at home and abroad. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, Hegseth argued that President Trump has authority to use military force against alleged traffickers "as he sees fit" in order to protect the United States and likened the fight against drug gangs to the post‑9/11 campaign against al-Qaeda. Reports that one September strike included a second bombing run that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage off the Venezuelan coast have prompted accusations of possible war crimes and bipartisan calls in Congress for investigations, with at least 87 people reported killed across nearly two dozen strikes. Hegseth said he fully backs the admiral who ordered the second strike, would have made the same decision himself, and is not yet committing to release video of that incident while the Pentagon reviews what material, if any, to make public.
Highlights:
- Scale of campaign: The Pentagon’s anti-drug initiative has targeted dozens of vessels in both the Caribbean and Pacific regions as part of a maritime interdiction strategy aimed at disrupting alleged cartel logistics networks at sea.
- Legal questions: Lawmakers and legal experts are examining whether the strikes meet international humanitarian law standards, particularly after claims that individuals in the water who no longer posed an immediate threat were deliberately targeted.
- Presidential authority: Hegseth emphasized that the administration views these operations as within the president’s constitutional and statutory powers to defend US national interests without seeking additional congressional authorization for each action.
- Information control: The Pentagon is reviewing internal procedures for releasing imagery from the operations, with Hegseth warning that any publication of classified video from the second Caribbean strike would be carefully weighed for security and diplomatic implications.
- Domestic scrutiny: Bipartisan concern in Washington has focused not only on the legality of individual strikes but also on broader questions about targeting criteria, civilian risk, and whether suspects at sea receive any opportunity to surrender before force is used.
President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation’s interests. - Pete Hegseth, US defense secretary
Perspectives:
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: Hegseth argues that treating powerful drug gangs like terrorist organizations is necessary to protect Americans, insists the admiral in charge followed appropriate rules of engagement when ordering a second strike on survivors, and maintains that the president has broad latitude to direct such operations. (The Globe and Mail)
- Critics in US Congress: Members of both parties have called for inquiries into the anti-drug air strikes, raising concerns that killing survivors in the water could violate the law of armed conflict and questioning whether suspected traffickers far from US territory qualify as lawful military targets. (South China Morning Post)
- Human rights advocates: Rights groups and legal commentators have warned that reports of a deliberate follow‑up strike on people already in the sea may point to extrajudicial killings and have urged independent investigations into potential war crimes and the identification of the dead. (Euronews)
- Trump administration supporters: Supporters of the policy frame the maritime campaign as a strong, deterrent response to transnational cartels that they say are responsible for large-scale drug flows into the US, arguing that aggressive interdiction at sea keeps narcotics from reaching American communities. (Le Monde)
Sources:
- Hegseth won't commit to releasing video of second strike on alleged drug boat - cbsnews.com
- US’ Pete Hegseth defends decision to kill survivors in Caribbean strike - straitstimes.com
- Hegseth defends Trump’s strikes on alleged cartel boats - theglobeandmail.com
- Hegseth defends killing boat survivors, likens drug gangs to al-Qaeda - scmp.com
- Hegseth gives defiant speech defending ‘drug boat’ strikes amid scrutiny - theguardian.com
- Hegseth defends deadly strikes on alleged cartel boats in the Caribbean - euronews.com
- US defense secretary dismisses criticism of strikes on alleged cartel boats - lemonde.fr