Defense Secretary Hegseth announces "Operation Southern Spear" targeting "narco-terrorists" across hemisphere
U.S. deploys 15,000 troops and world's largest aircraft carrier to Caribbean in campaign against drug boats
On Nov. 13, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally announced Operation Southern Spear, naming an existing campaign of military strikes that had been underway since early September 2025. The Pentagon described it as a 'formal operation naming' for what Joint Task Force Southern Spear and SOUTHCOM had already been doing.
Key People
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Pete Hegseth
U.S. Secretary of Defense
Hegseth directed the strikes via SOUTHCOM and announced Operation Southern Spear on Nov. 13 via social media. The Washington Post reported he gave a verbal order to SEAL Team Six to leave no survivors, which he denied. He personally briefed Trump on military options for Venezuela on Nov. 13–14.
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Adm. Alvin Holsey
Commander, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
Holsey commanded the SOUTHCOM area of operations and oversaw the counter-narcotics joint task force formed in early October 2025. He was set to retire later in 2025. SOUTHCOM covers more than 30 countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean.
Nicolás Maduro
President of Venezuela
The Trump administration accused Venezuela of being the primary source of drug trafficking and called Maduro an 'illegitimate leader.' Maduro denied the boats struck were narco vessels. The U.S. was briefing Trump on military options — including potential land strikes inside Venezuela — as of Nov. 13–14.
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Gustavo Petro
President of Colombia
Petro condemned the strikes at the UN General Assembly in September 2025 and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders. The State Department revoked his visa on Sept. 27. Colombia is a key U.S. partner in the region, making the diplomatic fallout significant.
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Adam Schiff
U.S. Senator (D-CA)
Schiff co-sponsored a Senate resolution with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) to require congressional approval before the administration could launch further strikes. The resolution failed 51–48 on Oct. 8, 2025. A second resolution targeting Venezuela also failed in November.
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Rep. Adam Smith
U.S. Representative (D-WA), Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
Smith appeared on NBC's Meet the Press NOW on Nov. 14 and said Secretary of State Rubio had denied any plans for land strikes inside Venezuela or regime change. Smith was among the lawmakers demanding greater congressional oversight of the strikes.
Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
Rubio told Rep. Adam Smith on Nov. 14 that the administration had no plans for land strikes inside Venezuela or regime change — even as Hegseth was briefing Trump on exactly those options. The contradiction between State and Defense on Venezuela illustrated the internal divergence in the second Trump administration's foreign policy.
Tim Kaine
U.S. Senator (D-VA)
Kaine co-sponsored the Oct. 8 War Powers resolution with Sen. Schiff and brought a second resolution targeting Venezuela specifically in November. Both failed. Kaine argued that the administration's drone-doesn't-count legal theory, if accepted, would allow future presidents to conduct unlimited lethal operations without congressional knowledge.
JD Vance
Vice President of the United States
Massie specifically named Vance as one of the officials who lobbied him to abandon the Epstein discharge petition — linking the vice president directly to the White House pressure campaign against transparency. Vance had publicly aligned with Trump's 'Epstein hoax' framing.
What you can do
Contact your senators about the War Powers Resolution
civic action
The Senate voted 51–48 to reject a resolution requiring congressional approval for strikes in the region. If your senator voted no, you can push them to reconsider. If your senator voted yes, you can thank them and urge them to keep pressing.
Request transparency about who has been killed
oversight
The Pentagon has not publicly identified any of the 79 people killed in 20 strikes. Under the Freedom of Information Act, citizens can request records related to the strikes, including any intelligence assessments used to authorize them.
Track the Congressional response via GovTrack or Congress.gov
civic education
Multiple resolutions have been introduced to limit the administration's authority to strike in the Western Hemisphere without congressional approval. GovTrack and Congress.gov let you track these bills in real time and see how your representative voted.