U.S. Military Strikes Alleged Drug Boats, Escalating War on Drugs Into “Actually Cool War,” says Hegseth

WASHINGTON — U.S. Southern Command announced it conducted strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats on December 31, 2025, following similar strikes the day prior, resulting in multiple fatalities across two days of operations.

The strikes are part of “Operation Southern Spear,” a counternarcotics campaign launched in late 2025. Officials characterized the targeted vessels as operated by “designated terrorist organizations” along known trafficking routes, citing intelligence assessments.

Human rights advocates and legal experts have raised concerns about the precedent of lethal force against suspected trafficking activity in international waters, arguing the operations risk resembling extrajudicial killings when targets do not pose immediate threat.

Administration officials defended the campaign as necessary escalation in the fight against narcotics, a position that critics say represents a familiar contradiction: an anti–government overreach movement repeatedly discovering it loves expansive federal power when it comes with uniforms, secrecy, and the ability to skip due process.

Observers noted that drug policy debates have long centered around whether narcotics should be treated primarily as a public health issue. The new approach appears to treat it as a military one.