US announces ‘Operation Southern Spear’ in the Western Hemisphere as Trump mounts heat in the Caribbean against drug trafficking; all you need to know

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced a U.S. military operation named ‘Southern Spear’ that he said would target "narco-terrorists" in the Western Hemisphere. The latest move comes as President Donald Trump’s administration says it's focused on fighting drug trafficking. The US President calls drug-trafficking terrorists responsible for thousands of deaths in the United States, without providing evidence.

"Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR. Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and @SOUTHCOM, this mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people," Hegseth said in a post on X.

The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is the U.S. military's combatant command that encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean. SOUTHCOM is the acronym for US Southern Command, whose area of responsibility covers 31 countries through South America, Central America and the Caribbean.


US Marines were conducting artillery training onboard the USS Iwo Jima – an amphibious assault ship – in the Caribbean in support of US President Donald Trump’s “priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland,” SOUTHCOM said in a social media post.

US strikes drug trafficking boat

Hegseth’s announcement came after reports surfaced suggesting that the United States conducted its 20th strike on Monday on an alleged drug trafficking boat. "The strike occurred in the Caribbean and four narco-terrorists were killed, no survivors," a Pentagon official said on Thursday, as quoted by Reuters.

According to Reuters, the official said 79 people have been killed and two were wounded and repatriated to their home countries. There was also one attempted rescue at sea by Mexican authorities as a result of the strikes. The U.S. strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America have killed dozens of people. The US government has not publicly explained the legal justification for its decision to attack the boats.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pushed back against criticism from some U.S. allies over the legality of the strikes, saying Europeans don't get to dictate how Washington defends its national security.