The United States aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford has left the Mediterranean Sea and is headed toward the Caribbean. It is now more than a week since Pete Hegseth ordered that aircraft carrier to the region. The timing of this move marks the beginning of a much more aggressive, short-termed campaign against drug-trafficking. The deployment looks to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America and goes along with daily, and sometimes multiple daily, U.S. military strikes against suspected narco-submarines.
The USS Forrest Sherman and the USS Mitchener, both able to conduct air and missile defense operations, are currently forward deployed in the Red Sea. At the same time, USS Winston Churchill and USS Mahan are deployed to the Mediterranean. USS Mahan now homeported at Rota, Spain. The American naval forces have almost tripled. This massive buildup of planes, ships and hundreds of troops demonstrates the administration’s fierce commitment to crack down on drug trafficking.
The Trump administration is already under a microscope for its military campaign. According to most recent figures, at least 66 civilians have been killed in 16 separate strikes. The most recent onslaught, which Hegseth confirmed was an American action, killed two Americans on the targeted ship. In support of his argument, Hegseth released a video of an example where a large gray box was used to cover up a boat. That boat is subsequently blown up in the strike.
Former President Donald Trump would probably say it’s okay because we’re in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. That’s why he thinks this threat deserves a forceful response. He claims the vessels that these operations are carrying out interceptions against are largely run by foreign terror groups. This rhetoric highlights the administration’s tactics for combating what it considers to be a national security threat.
“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens” – Pete Hegseth
The recent escalation of military operations against drug traffickers has sparked a passionate discussion. Americans on both the effectiveness and morality of these tactics have rightfully begun to scrutinize them. Opponents contend that escalating military engagement does not address the underlying causes of drug trafficking. Proponents argue that it is critically needed to protect American citizens from the dangers that narcotics provide.