President Donald Trump is taking the fight against drug cartels to a whole new level with a military campaign that could shake up the Caribbean and beyond.
Fox News reported that with a surge of naval power, deadly strikes on suspected drug vessels, and a refusal to rule out targeting operations inside Venezuela, Trump’s administration is doubling down on stopping the flow of narcotics into the United States.
This bold strategy kicked off with an increased naval presence in the Caribbean, including the deployment of U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to the region starting a few months ago.
By mid-September, Trump ordered a lethal strike on a vessel tied to a designated terrorist group within the U.S. Southern Command’s area, announcing the action himself on Truth Social with his signature gusto.
Since then, the U.S. has executed four fatal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, sending a clear message to narco-traffickers that American waters are no longer a free-for-all.
The Department of War has also established a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force in the Southern Command area, signaling a long-term commitment to this battle.
Speaking to military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, at the end of September, Trump hinted at expanding the fight to include land-based cartel operations, a move that could further escalate tensions.
Around the same time, the White House sent a memo to lawmakers declaring the U.S. is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug smugglers, framing this as more than just a law enforcement issue.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed this resolve on X, stating, "Crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe," a rallying cry for those who believe the drug epidemic demands an iron-fisted response.
But not everyone is on board—Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, filed a war powers resolution in September to halt U.S. military actions against certain non-state groups, arguing it oversteps congressional authority.
Schiff told reporters, "There has been no authorization to use force by Congress in this way. I feel it is plainly unconstitutional."
That resolution flopped in the Senate with a narrow 51-48 vote, despite picking up support from a couple of Republicans like Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, showing even conservatives have their limits on unchecked executive power.
On the flip side, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch of Idaho defended Trump, asserting before the vote that when drugs threaten American lives, the president has not just the right but the duty to act decisively.
Experts are weighing in, too, with Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, noting in an email to Fox News Digital, "This is a sign that President Trump is taking the US war on drugs in Latin America to the next level. By involving the military, the president is going after drug cartels in a way that no previous US administration has dared to do so far."
While Ramsey’s analysis suggests a historic shift, one has to wonder if this muscular approach will truly disrupt the drug trade or just scatter the problem elsewhere—after all, cartels have a knack for adapting faster than a progressive policy shifts on X.
