Pete Hegseth announces massive new mission to target ‘narco-terrorists’, but it’s what Trump was briefed on that raises eyebrows

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. is starting a big new operation called Operation Southern Spear. The plan is to go after drug trafficking groups that work like terrorist organizations in Latin America. 

President Trump ordered action – and the Department of War is delivering. Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” he wrote on X. “Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and @SOUTHCOM, this mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it.”

According to Fox News, it’s what Trump was briefed on that raises eyebrows. According to CBS News, President Donald Trump got information about different ways the U.S. could take action in Venezuela, and some of those options included attacking targets on land. Right now, Trump has not made a final choice about whether to do that.

The military is bringing in heavy equipment for this

Back in January, the Navy said it would be in charge of Operation Southern Spear working with the U.S. 4th Fleet and Southern Command. They plan to use robot boats that can stay out at sea for a long time, smaller robot boats that can chase down targets, and flying drones that can take off straight up without a runway. The U.S. is also sending regular warships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, which happens to be the biggest aircraft carrier in the world.

Hegseth talked about why this matters so much. He said the mission is about keeping the homeland safe, getting these drug terror groups out of the area, and stopping the drugs that are harming Americans. The whole point is to break up the systems that bring illegal drugs into the United States.

People from both political parties seem to support what the military is doing. Senator Mark Warner is a Democrat from Virginia who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, and he said the strikes near Venezuela were the right move. He actually thinks the Biden team before this one should have done more after people in Venezuela voted to remove their leader Maduro.

Hegseth was clear about how the U.S. sees this part of the world. He said the Western Hemisphere is like America’s neighborhood and the country will keep it safe. This operation is a huge military push to stop drug routes and go after the groups bringing narcotics into the U.S. The War Secretary has been busy with military changes in other places too, and he recently talked about major changes to South Korea’s defense responsibilities.

This news comes after earlier strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking that made people ask questions about what proof the military has, while Operation Southern Spear keeps growing across the Western Hemisphere.