The Defense Department’s inspector general has initiated an evaluation of whether U.S. Southern Command followed Pentagon protocols when attacking suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
The operation, dubbed Southern Spear, has destroyed 58 vessels between Sept. 2 and May 12, according to data compiled by Military Times — as part of what the Trump administration describes as a counternarcotics campaign in the Western Hemisphere. At least 182 people have been killed in the strikes.
A spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office told Military Times on Tuesday that the inquiry encompasses “the joint process for targeted vessels in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility as part of Operation Southern Spear.”
She noted that “the project was self-initiated” and in line with the department’s broader assessment of programs and operations. The office would not provide a timeline in order to “preserve the integrity of our work,” the spokeswoman added.
In a letter dated May 11, the inspector general’s office said that its objective is to determine if the department acted in accordance with an established six-phase joint targeting cycle. This framework includes end state and commander’s objectives; target development and prioritization; capabilities analysis; commander’s decision and force assignment; mission planning and force execution; and assessment.
Both the Pentagon and Southern Command referred requests for comment to the inspector general’s office.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously described Operation Southern Spear as one that “defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people.”
The White House has also vehemently defended the use of lethal force as a lawful military action, casting the issue as a matter of national security. Officials argue that the trafficking of illicit narcotics into the U.S. by drug cartels has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans. Influxes of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine have proven especially deadly.
Yet the Trump administration has offered little public evidence that the boats being targeted are engaged in drug trafficking. Legal experts and Democratic lawmakers contend that President Donald Trump is effectively ordering extrajudicial killings. Other critics say that, at a minimum, U.S. conduct raises questions about possible violations of maritime law and international human rights conventions.
The watchdog will perform its review at the Pentagon and Southern Command headquarters in Doral, Fla.
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.