Timeline of Vessel Strikes and Related Actions

The following timeline chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The timeline, which focuses primarily on vessel strikes, relevant statements from administration officials, and congressional actions, will be updated on a regular basis to reflect new developments. For analysis and further information on these strikes, including their legality under domestic and international law, see Just Security’s Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers.

Overview as of November 6 2025: 16 strikes; 67 reported killed; 2 known survivors

July – President Donald Trump reportedly directs DOD to use military force against Latin American “terrorists”

• In late July, Trump reportedly signed a still-secret order directing the Department of Defense to start using military force against Latin American criminal groups that his administration has labeled terrorists.
• Note: Subsequent reporting has indicated that a classified Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memorandum purporting to provide legal justification for the strikes includes a “list of cartels [that] goes beyond those the administration has publicly designated as terrorist organizations.”

FIRST STRIKE: September 2 – First strike against a vessel off the coast of Venezuela, killing 11

• Trump said the United States had carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a vessel containing “positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”
• The president said in a social media post that 11 people were killed and posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. “The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said on Truth Social. “No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”

September 4 – First strike 48-hour report under the War Powers Resolution

• Trump provided Congress with a report describing the Sept. 2 strike on “a vessel… that was assessed to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and to be engaged in illicit drug trafficking activities,” but without identifying the organization or the specific activities.
• The report stated: “It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that will be necessary. United States forces remain postured to carry out further military operations.”
• The report states, “I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148).”
• Note: As discussed on the Just Security podcast, the report likely triggered the War Powers Resolution’s termination provision, which requires U.S. forces to be removed from hostilities or imminent hostilities within 60 days unless Congress authorizes the activity.

SECOND STRIKE: September 15 – Second strike against a vessel, killing three

• Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the strike that it “occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.” He added, “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.”

September 18 – Senators introduce a resolution under the War Powers Resolution to prevent strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels without Congressional approval

• Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the resolution (S.J. Res. 83), which was initially referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The resolution claimed Congress had “received insufficient information about the vessels, their threat level or the legal basis for using force against them.”
• In a statement on the same day, Senator Kaine claimed, “President Trump has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. The administration has refused to provide Congress with basic information about the multiple strike[sic] it has carried out, including who was killed, why it was necessary to put servicemembers’ lives at risk, and why a standard interdiction operation wasn’t conducted.”
• At the same time, it was reported that draft legislation to provide the Trump administration with “sweeping power to wage war against drug cartels [Trump] deems to be ‘terrorists’” was circulating within Congress.
• See Oct. 8 entry for vote count

THIRD STRIKE: September 19 – Third strike against a vessel claimed to be “smuggling drugs,” killing three

• Trump in a social media post said the strike killed three and was carried out against a vessel “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” He did not provide further information about the location of the strike, the identity of the organization, or the individuals “affiliated” with it.

September 23 – House Democrats introduce a resolution under the War Powers Resolution to prevent strikes against suspected drug traffickers or against Venezuela without congressional approval

• Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Greg Casar (D-TX), and Jesús Garcia (D-IL) sponsored the resolution (H. Con. Res. 51). The resolution was referred shortly thereafter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

September 23 – Senate Armed Services Committee Chair and Ranking Member send a letter to Secretary of Defense requesting a copy of President or Secretary of Defense’s order to carry out prior strikes

• Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Hegseth requesting a copy of orders by Trump or Hegseth to conduct strikes, citing their legislative authority under Section 1067 of the 2025 NDAA.
• Note: The letter was privately sent but revealed publicly by the senators on October 23, following additional strikes. (See October 31 entry for more details.)

October 1 – Closed Senate Armed Services Committee meeting

• In a closed-door Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, senators from both sides of the aisle questioned the Department of Defense’s legal justification for striking alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and, according to anonymous sources, “urged officials to devise a stronger legal case.”
• During the meeting, Department of Defense general counsel Earl Matthews repeatedly argued that Trump’s designation of some Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations “granted the Department of Defense unilateral authority to use military force.” Matthews reportedly also declined to provide a written justification for the strikes.

October 2 – Trump declares existence of armed conflict in confidential notice to Congress

• A notice provided under Section 1230 of the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA (50 U.S.C. § 1543a) states that Trump has decided that the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” (NIAC) with drug cartels he has labeled terrorist organizations and that suspected smugglers for such groups are “unlawful combatants.” The notice was sent to several congressional committees and obtained by The New York Times.
• The notice specifically referenced the Sept. 15 strike, stating that the targeted “vessel was assessed by the U.S. intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization.”
• Note: The notice to Congress, which was labeled as controlled but unclassified information, for the first time portrays the U.S. military’s attacks on boats to be part of a NIAC (an international law term that refers to an armed conflict with one or more non-state actors). Specifically, it says that Trump has “determined” that cartels engaged in smuggling drugs are “nonstate armed groups” whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States.”

FOURTH STRIKE: October 3 – Fourth strike on boat near Venezuela, killing four

• In a social media post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accused the four men killed in the strike of smuggling narcotics, without offering evidence. He asserted that the men were “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization” – likely referring to one of the cartels or gangs that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Department of State during this administration, but without specifying which organization.
• Hegseth said the attack took place “just off the coast of Venezuela” but in international waters and did not identify the nationalities of the dead.

UNCONFIRMED ADDITIONAL STRIKE: October 4 – Trump statement on unconfirmed additional strike

• On October 5, Trump spoke at a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. He implied there was an additional strike the prior evening, October 4, stating: “Every one of those boats is responsible for the death of 25,000 American people and the destruction of families. So when you think of it that way, what we’re doing is actually an act of kindness. But we did another one last night. Now we just can’t find any.” Such a strike is otherwise unconfirmed, and it is possible that this statement was in error or intended to reference the Oct. 3 strike.

October 6 – Senate Armed Services Committee Chair and Ranking Member send a letter to Secretary of Defense requesting a copy of DOJ opinions on legality of strikes

• Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Hegseth, following the October 1 classified Armed Services Committee meeting, requesting (1) any written opinion issued by the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel “opining on the domestic or international legal basis for these operations and strikes;” (2) a list of designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations with whom the President has determined the U.S. is in a non-international armed conflict; and (3) orders by Trump to conduct previous strikes.
• Their letter followed a previous letter from the Senators to Secretary of Defense Hegseth on September 23 that requested a copy of orders by Trump or Hegseth to conduct strikes, citing their legislative authority under Section 1067 of the 2025 NDAA.
• Note: The letter was privately sent but revealed publicly by the senators on October 23, following additional strikes. (See October 31 entry for more details.)

October 8 – Proposed legislation to prevent strikes against suspected drug traffickers without congressional authorization fails vote to be brought to Senate floor

• The vote to bring the legislation proposed by Senators Schiff and Kaine, joined by co-sponsor Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), to the floor for a full vote failed 48-51, “largely along party lines.” Republican Senators Paul and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of the resolution, while Democratic Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) voted against it.
• The measure, brought under the War Powers Resolution, would have barred Trump from using military force against designated terrorist organizations, “states in which those entities operate,” or non-state organizations “engaged in the promotion, trafficking, and distribution of illegal drugs” without authorization from Congress.

October 10 – US Mission to UN representative states that strikes are part of a “non-international armed conflict” at a UN Security Council briefing

• A representative of the United States Mission to the United Nations, John Kelley, stated at the UN Security Council briefing on the strikes on Venezuela: “President Trump has determined the United States is in a non-international armed conflict and has directed the Department of War to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict and consistent with Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
• Mr. Kelley also stated, “President Trump determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.” He stated that the Trump administration “does not recognize Nicolás Maduro or his cronies as the government of Venezuela.”

FIFTH STRIKE: October 14 – Fifth strike on boat near Venezuela, killing six

• Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said intelligence confirmed the vessel was “trafficking narcotics” and was “associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks.” He posted a 30-second video of the strike. The video was reposted by the Instagram account of the Department of Defense, and by Secretary of Defense Hegseth on X.

October 15 – Trump confirms he authorized CIA covert action against Venezuela

• In an Oval Office press conference, Trump confirmed earlier news reports citing unnamed U.S. officials that he had authorized CIA covert action against Venezuela, stating that he had made the authorization because Venezuela had “emptied their prisons into the United States of America.” The CIA declined to comment.
• In the same press conference, Trump claimed that the administration is “looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” hinting at potential land operations in Venezuelan territory.

SIXTH STRIKE: October 16 – Sixth strike on boat near Venezuela, killing two and leaving two survivors

• The U.S. Navy carried out a strike against a semi-submersible vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Two men aboard were killed, and two survivors were found in the water following the strike.
• The U.S. Navy held the two survivors on a warship in international waters until transferring them (see further developments on Oct. 18).

October 16 – Senators Kaine, Paul, and Schiff introduce new resolution to prevent strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels without Congressional approval

• Senators Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, and Adam Schiff introduced a new resolution to require a full briefing to Congress and a congressional vote prior to engaging in “hostilities within or against Venezuela.”
• Note: A previous resolution failed to reach a Senate Floor vote on Oct. 8.

SEVENTH STRIKE: October 17 – Seventh strike on boat “linked to Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional,” a Colombian guerrilla group, killing three

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated that the U.S. military “struck another alleged drug-carrying vessel on Friday, killing three people.” In a post on X, he stated that Friday’s strike targeted a boat linked to Ejército de Liberación Nacional, a Colombian guerrilla group that has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration, and alleged the boat “was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics.”

October 18 – Administration repatriates two survivors of the October 16 strike to their respective countries of nationality, Colombia and Ecuador

• The Department of Defense reportedly transferred legal custody of the detainees to the State Department for repatriation.
• On October 20, two prosecutors in Ecuador decided against charging one of two survivors of an October 16 vessel strike, saying there was no evidence the man had committed a crime in Venezuelan territory.

October 19 – Colombian President Petro accuses the United States of murdering a Colombian fisherman in one of its strikes, Trump cuts off aid payments

• In a post on X, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of killing a Colombian fisherman in a mid-September strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. Petro said the US had “committed murder” and “violated [Colombia’s] sovereignty in territorial waters.”
• Trump responded by saying he would halt aid payments to Colombia and impose new tariffs on the country’s goods. He called Petro an “illegal drug dealer” and accused him of failing to curb the production of illegal drugs in Colombia.
• Petro’s statement followed remarks by him earlier in the month accusing the United States of striking a boat and killing Colombian citizens aboard.

October 21 – Three United Nations experts issue a joint letter denouncing U.S. targeting of vessels off the coast of Venezuela, describing it as a breach of the UN Charter

• The experts included George Katrougalos, independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
• The experts claimed the strikes, if made in order to impose regime change, are in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. They additionally stated: “The long history of external interventions in Latin America must not be repeated.”

EIGHTH  STRIKE: October 21 – Eighth strike on a vessel, killing two; for the first time, in the eastern Pacific Ocean

• U.S. Special Operations Forces carried out a strike on a vessel for the first time in the eastern Pacific Ocean in international waters, killing two on the boat.
• Secretary of Defense Hegseth posted the video of the strike on X, saying that intelligence indicated the vessel was involved in drug smuggling and had narcotics onboard. (“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific”). Hegseth likened cartels to Al Qaeda, saying, “Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people.”

NINTH STRIKE: October 22 – Ninth strike on a vessel, killing three; second strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean

• Hours after Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced the first strike, U.S. Special Operations forces carried out a second strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people aboard and bringing the total death toll from strikes since early September to 37. Hegseth said in a post on X that the vessel was “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO)” and was “known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route, and carrying narcotics.”
• Note: While speaking to press reporters at the White House ahead of a meeting with NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, Trump suggested that he would soon order strikes against land targets, saying, “We will hit them very hard when they come in by land […] They haven’t experienced that yet, but now we are totally prepared to do that.” He added that his administration would “probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we are doing” before launching those strikes, but insisted that he did not need their permission to act. “Something very serious is going to happen, the equivalent of what’s happening by sea,” Trump said.

October 23 – Trump says he will not seek Congressional approval to carry out strikes

• Trump told the press at the White House, “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we are going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We are going to kill them, you know? They are going to be, like, dead.” He suggested that he may inform Congress about future strikes, including on land, but without seeking congressional approval.
• Note: US officials told the press that two Air Force B-1 bombers from Texas flew near Venezuela in international airspace in an attempt to pressure Maduro to step down. When asked about the flights, Trump said, “No, it’s not accurate,” he said. “No, it’s false.”

TENTH STRIKE: October 24 – Tenth strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing six

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced on X that the United States carried out another strike on a vessel allegedly “operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea,” killing six people. Hegseth claimed it was the first attack to occur at night.

October 24 – DOD moves carrier strike group into the Caribbean Sea

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to move from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean to “augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.”
• Note: Maduro accused the United States of “fabricating a new external war” following the announcement.

October 26 – U.S. warship docks in Trinidad and Tobago

• The USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, docked in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, for joint exercises with the island nation’s military forces.
• Protestors gathered outside the US Embassy after the warship docked in the island country, which borders Venezuela’s coast.

October 26 – Senator Lindsay Graham states that Trump may intend to conduct land strikes in Venezuela  

• Senator Graham stated in an interview with CBS’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation”: “President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia… So there will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land.”
• Note: Senators Rand Paul and James Lankford (R-OK) have both argued against the (thus far, sea-based) strikes. Lankford said that he would be “apoplectic” if former President Joe Biden had done the same thing. Senator Paul said on “Fox News Sunday,” “So far, they have alleged that these people are drug dealers. No one’s said their name, no one’s said what evidence, no one’s said whether they’re armed, and we’ve had no evidence presented … So at this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings.”

ELEVENTH, TWELFTH, AND THIRTEENTH STRIKES: October 27 – Eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth strikes in the Eastern Pacific, killing fourteen and initially leaving one survivor

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced on X that DOD carried out three separate strikes on four vessels “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.” Reportedly, eight were killed in the first strike, four in the second strike, and three in the third strike, totaling fourteen killed in the three strikes, with one reported survivor.
• Note: SOUTHCOM reportedly initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols for the lone survivor. Mexico SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. On Oct. 31, the Mexican Navy reportedly planned to call off search efforts for the individual, who is now presumed dead.

FOURTEENTH STRIKE: October 29 – Fourteenth strike in the Eastern Pacific, killing four

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced on X that DOD carried out a strike on a vessel operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.”
• The strike killed four people, bringing the publicly reported death toll to 61 since the strikes began in September.

October 29 – Senate Democrats send a letter to AG Bondi requesting legal justifications for strikes

• Ten Democratic senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for “any and all legal opinions assessing the legality of military actions ordered by the President” that have resulted in a current total of 61 deaths in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
• In the letter, the senators state “it appears the strikes may violate”:
  1. 18 U.S.C. § 1111, which makes it a felony to commit murder within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the US (including the high seas)
  2. EO 12333 § 2.11 (US Intelligence Activities), which prohibits persons employed by or acting on behalf of the USG from engaging in assassination
  3. 10 U.S. Code § 918 – Art. 118 (UCMJ). Murder, which prohibits premeditated and unlawful killing of a human being
  4. Binding peremptory norms of customary international law and treaties to which the United States is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 6 and UNHRC General comment No. 36 on article 6.
  5. The Geneva Conventions
• The letter requests that Attorney General Bondi schedule a briefing, classified or unclassified, for the Committee by November 3, 2025 on the legal analysis of these strikes. It also requests the AG answer a set of six listed questions by November 7, 2025.

October 30 – Classified House briefing on the U.S. military’s strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and in the East Pacific

• Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO) and Mike Turner (R-OH) both expressed frustration at the lack of information provided at a bipartisan House classified briefing on the U.S. military’s strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and in the East Pacific. Reportedly, the Department of Defense lawyers who were set to explain the legal rationale the administration is using to strike the vessels were not present. Turner, who chairs the committee, told press: “Yesterday, there were not very good answers as to what is the standard, what is occurring with the designation of cartels as terrorist organizations…”
• Note: Reportedly, a classified briefing was held the prior day that excluded Democratic members of the committee. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, reportedly said the administration “ignores checks and balances” by picking and choosing which elected officials have access to legal justifications.
• Note: White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the Department of Defense has held nine “bipartisan” briefings on the boat strikes. She claimed DOD “individually works through requests” from lawmakers.

October 31 – Senate Armed Services Committee leadership states that the DOD has refused to share information about and legal justification for strikes with Congress upon request

• Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) publicly shared two letters that they sent to Secretary of Defense Hegseth in prior weeks requesting, on September 23, a copy of the president’s orders to carry out the military strikes, and on October 6, the Department of Justice’s legal justification for the attacks and a “complete list” of designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations “with whom the president has determined the United States is in a noninternational armed conflict and against whom lethal military force may be used.” In a public statement, they claimed that the “documents had not been submitted” to this date.
• Note: On the same day, when asked by reporters on Air Force One if reports that he was considering strikes within Venezuela were true, Trump said: “No.”

October 31 – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says the United States “must halt” strikes on alleged drug boats to prevent “extrajudicial killing”

• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for an investigation into the strikes through a spokesperson’s statement in a regular briefing. He stated: “[C]ountering the serious issue of illicit trafficking of drugs across international borders is – as has long been agreed among States – a law-enforcement matter, governed by the careful limits on lethal force set out in international human rights law.”

FIFTEENTH STRIKE: November 1 – Fifteenth strike on a vessel in the Caribbean, killing at least three

• Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced in a post on X a strike on a “narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Caribbean,” accompanied by a 17-second video of the strike. He wrote: “This vessel—like EVERY OTHER—was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.” The strike killed at least three on board the vessel.

November 1 – Trump administration reportedly claims the War Powers Resolution’s 60 day termination clock does not apply

• In a briefing held between October 27-31, the official heading the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, T. Elliot Gaiser, reportedly stated that the strikes conducted thus far did not rise to the level of “hostilities” that would trigger the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day termination clock (which was set to expire on Nov. 3). An unnamed senior administration official reportedly stated that the strikes did not fall within the scope of the War Powers Resolution as they were largely conducted by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and thus did not “endanger American personnel.”
• Note: The unnamed senior administration official interpreted the War Powers Resolution to apply solely to conflicts that “plac[e] U.S. service members in harm’s way” and referenced two memos on the Resolution from prior administrations. The first, written in 1984 contained a one-paragraph discussion of the meaning of hostilities. The second, written in 1994, discussed the Clinton administration’s deployment of peacekeeping troops to Haiti. It is unclear how they relate to the Trump administration’s argument regarding legal authority for the strikes.

November 2 – Trump states he doubts the United States will go to war with Venezuela

• In a televised interview with 60 Minutes, Trump responded to a question regarding whether the United States was going to war with Venezuela saying “I doubt it. I don’t think so.” He later declined to discuss whether he would consider potential land strikes in Venezuela.
• When asked whether the attacks were about “stopping narcotics” or “getting rid of President Maduro,” Trump responded: “This is about many things. This is a country that allowed their prisons to be emptied into our country.”

SIXTEENTH STRIKE: November 4 – Sixteenth strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two

• On November 4, Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced a sixteenth strike on a vessel “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO),” in this instance in the eastern Pacific. He stated, “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”
• Hegseth claimed that two “male narco-terrorists” aboard the boat died in the strike.