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US Military Intensifies Pacific Strikes as Legal and Leadership Questions Grow

08:15 PM, 12/05/2025
US Military Intensifies Pacific Strikes as Legal and Leadership Questions Grow

The US military conducted another strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four and intensifying scrutiny of the campaign's legality. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces pressure over a prior Caribbean strike that some lawmakers say may have been a war crime, alongside concerns about his use of insecure communications. A New York Times analysis argued that unarmed speedboats should be treated under civilian law, not as warships, prompting calls for investigations and clearer rules of engagement.

US Military Steps Up Operations in the Eastern Pacific

The US military struck another suspected drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four people and renewing debate over the legality and oversight of its campaign. Officials say the vessel was suspected of transporting illicit narcotics, but details about the engagement and whether those killed were combatants or civilians remain disputed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under heightened scrutiny after an earlier strike in the Caribbean that some lawmakers say may have amounted to a war crime — in particular, questions have been raised about reported strikes on survivors. Hegseth has also faced criticism for reportedly using insecure communications channels, which has fueled calls for greater accountability.

“An unarmed speedboat… is not a warship,” an analysis in The New York Times argued, noting that attacks on unarmed vessels raise complex legal questions about whether civilian policing rules, rather than the laws of armed conflict, should apply. “It would be a crime if [police] simply gunned down suspected drug dealers in the street.”

Legal experts and lawmakers are pressing for clearer rules of engagement, independent investigations and stronger oversight to ensure that counter-narcotics operations respect domestic and international law. The incident has prompted fresh calls in Congress for briefings and possible inquiries into both the conduct of strikes and the chain of command authorizing them.

What happens next: Investigations by military and civilian authorities could follow, and congressional hearings are likely as lawmakers demand answers about targeting decisions, the identity of those killed, and the safeguards in place to protect non-combatants.

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