Overview

• Reports by the New York Times, Fox News and ABC News describe a memo stating the U.S. is in a non‑international armed conflict with drug cartels.
• The memo labels suspected cartel members as unlawful combatants, a classification that expands military authorities under the laws of armed conflict.
• U.S. forces carried out three maritime attacks in recent weeks that killed 17 suspected smugglers, with targets linked to Venezuela according to the reporting.
• Legal scholars including Geoffrey S. Corn and Brian Finucane question whether cartels meet armed‑conflict criteria and note Congress has not authorized such military action.
• President Trump defends the approach as protecting Americans from drug‑related harm and has publicly referred to targeted groups as terrorists.