Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal strikes on three vessels on Dec. 15 in international waters of the eastern Pacific.
- The command said intelligence linked the boats to designated terrorist organizations and known trafficking routes, reporting eight men killed across the three craft.
- President Trump has announced plans for ground strikes against Latin American cartels and cited a 94% drop in maritime smuggling as part of the rationale.
- The White House and Pentagon rejected a Washington Post report alleging orders to "kill all" traffickers, with the White House calling the paper the "media criminal of the week."
- Rep. Shri Thanedar said he introduced an impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth as prior U.S. maritime actions near Venezuela and a large regional deployment continue to face scrutiny.