US announces (special) military operation against 'narco-terrorists'

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has unveiled a new military initiative aimed at targeting what the Pentagon describes as “narco-terrorists” operating in the Western Hemisphere. The operation, named Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, was announced by Hegseth on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) account.

Hegseth stated that the mission, under the leadership of Joint Task Force Southern Spear and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), seeks to defend the United States, eliminate narco-terrorist threats in the hemisphere, and curb the flow of illegal drugs endangering American communities. SOUTHCOM, one of the U.S. military’s eleven unified combatant commands, is responsible for planning and executing operations, as well as promoting security cooperation, across 31 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The announcement comes amid an escalating U.S. campaign against drug trafficking. Just last week, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest, arrived in the Caribbean and Latin American waters, reinforcing an already significant U.S. naval presence in the region. Officials say the deployment is intended to counter transnational criminal organizations and curb the importation of illicit drugs into the United States.

As part of ongoing operations, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against multiple vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which were identified as drug-smuggling boats. These strikes have reportedly resulted in numerous fatalities.

The U.S. actions have increased tensions in the region, particularly with Venezuela. U.S. officials have suggested links between drug-smuggling networks and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has strongly rejected these claims, asserting that the U.S. is “fabricating a new war” and using the military buildup as a pretext to remove him from power. He described the American naval presence as “the greatest threat our continent has faced in the past 100 years,” framing the deployment as a direct threat to regional sovereignty.

Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR represents a major intensification of U.S. military efforts in the hemisphere, combining naval power, targeted operations, and coordinated regional efforts to address both criminal networks and the broader security implications they pose.

Source: DW