U.S. Notifies Congress It Is in 'Non‑International Armed Conflict' with Drug Cartels After Caribbean Boat Strikes
The Trump administration has notified Congress, via an AP‑obtained memo and Pentagon briefings, that the United States is "in a non‑international armed conflict" with drug cartels, labeling them unlawful combatants/terrorist organizations and invoking presidential authority for recent military actions — a designation that Pentagon officials struggled to detail to lawmakers. In recent weeks U.S. forces have carried out at least three strikes on alleged drug‑smuggling boats in the Caribbean (including a Sept. 15 strike that killed three), one interdiction coordinated with the Dominican Republic recovered roughly 1,000 kg of cocaine, and the actions have prompted legal, congressional and diplomatic questions as the Pentagon has deferred public inquiries to the White House.
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🔍 Key Facts
- The administration sent a memo and Pentagon officials formally notified Congress that the United States is 'in a non‑international armed conflict' with drug cartels, describing cartel fighters as 'unlawful combatants' and, for the purposes of the policy, treating some groups as 'terrorist organizations.'
- The notification followed a series of U.S. military strikes in USSOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility in the Caribbean — at least three deadly strikes — including a mid‑September (Sept. 15) strike that the administration says killed three people and an earlier Sept. 2 strike reported to have killed 11; officials say at least two of the targeted vessels originated from Venezuela.
- President Trump announced the strikes on social media (Truth Social) and posted a strike video (amplified by White House communications staff on X) that appears to show missiles hitting a boat; the White House says intelligence 'confirmed' narcotics and visible cargo aboard but has provided few independent corroborating details.
- Dominican authorities said one U.S.‑struck 'go‑fast' speedboat was carrying roughly 1,000 kilograms of suspected cocaine (377 packages) recovered about 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, calling the action a coordinated U.S.–Dominican operation and transferring recovered evidence to forensic authorities.
- The Pentagon publicly deferred detailed questions to the White House, and in classified briefings officials were reportedly unable to provide lawmakers with a list of the specific organizations designated as part of the conflict, prompting frustration in Congress; CBS reported the notification was filed under an NDAA reporting requirement after U.S. military attacks.
- The U.S. has deployed a sizable military posture in the region — roughly 4,500 personnel aboard eight warships, F‑35s relocated to Puerto Rico and clandestine Special Operations forces present — a buildup analysts say may be aimed at pressuring Venezuela as well as interdiction and which some warn risks escalation.
- Lawmakers (including Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine), human‑rights groups and legal scholars raised constitutional and legal questions about using the military for law‑enforcement tasks, filing a War Powers resolution seeking to block further 'hostilities' and warning strikes could amount to unlawful, extrajudicial killings.
- The strikes and the U.S. characterization of cartels drew international and regional pushback: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the attacks and accused the U.S. of seeking regime change, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro called for criminal charges, and the issue was debated at the U.N. General Assembly.
📍 Contextual Background
- Department of Defense contingency guidance listed priority missions during a shutdown in the following order: operations to secure the U.S. Southern Border; Middle East operations; the U.S. missile defense project Golden Dome for America; depot maintenance; shipbuilding; and critical munitions.
- During a U.S. federal government shutdown, active-duty military personnel and deployed National Guard members must continue to perform their assigned duties but their pay is delayed until the shutdown ends.
- U.S. federal law Section 230 provides online platforms with broad legal protections that allow them to make content-moderation decisions without being held liable for those decisions.
- Congress enacted the Pay Our Military Act in 2013 to ensure military pay and allowances continued during a government shutdown.
- Donald J. Trump's accounts on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and X were restored in 2022.
- YouTube and its parent company Alphabet agreed to pay a total of $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald J. Trump over the temporary suspension of his YouTube account after the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.
📰 Sources (15)
Trump administration tells Congress the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels
New information:
- CBS News viewed the administration's notification to Congress and reports it followed the mid-September (Sept. 15) strike on an alleged cartel boat.
- A White House official told CBS the notification was part of a report to Congress required by the National Defense Authorization Act after U.S. military attacks.
- The article quotes White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defending the actions and naming the legal frame ('law of armed conflict'), and quotes former State Department adviser Brian Finucane criticizing the sufficiency of the legal justification.
- Specific reference that the Sept. 15 notification characterized the three people killed in that strike as 'unlawful combatants' and recalled the Sept. 2 strike (reported to have killed 11).
Trump declares U.S. in ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug cartels
New information:
- AP‑obtained administration memo explicitly states cartels are unlawful combatants and that the U.S. is in a 'non‑international armed conflict'.
- Pentagon officials formally notified Congress (reported as happening Wednesday) about the designation.
- The piece reports that at least two of the recent deadly strikes last month were carried out on vessels that originated from Venezuela.
- Pentagon officials were reportedly unable to provide a list of the designated organizations to lawmakers, prompting frustration during a classified briefing.
Trump declares drug cartels operating in Caribbean unlawful combatants
New information:
- AP obtained an administration memo explicitly stating cartels operating in the Caribbean are 'unlawful combatants.'
- Pentagon officials notified Congress about the designation on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
- Pentagon officials could not provide lawmakers with a list of designated organizations at the center of the conflict, prompting frustration among senators.
- At least two of the recent U.S. strikes targeted vessels that originated from Venezuela.
Trump admin tells Congress it determined US engaged in formal 'armed conflict' with 'terrorist' drug cartels
New information:
- The administration sent a memo to Congress stating the United States is 'in a non-international armed conflict' with drug cartels.
- The memo describes drug cartels as 'terrorist organizations' for the purposes of the administration's actions and policy.
- The memo includes a direct administration quote saying 'The President directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests abroad...' (i.e., an explicit invocation of presidential authority).
With 'drug boat' strikes, Trump leans into war on terror tactic against cartels
New information:
- FBI Director Kash Patel publicly urged treating cartels 'like the al‑Qaidas of the world' at a Senate hearing and recommended using Department of War and intelligence authorities to pursue them.
- NPR quotes President Trump’s public claims (video posts and statements) asserting visible cargo—'big bags of cocaine and fentanyl'—and that the administration 'recorded evidence,' while noting the White House has provided few corroborating details.
- The piece frames the strikes as the administration adopting a post‑9/11 counterterrorism blueprint and highlights legal and scholarly criticism that the strikes may amount to illegal, extrajudicial killings.
Drug enforcement is rarely a focus of the U.N. General Assembly. This year is different
New information:
- Reports that drug enforcement became a prominent, explicit topic on the U.N. General Assembly floor this week after President Trump touted strikes and cartel FTO designations.
- A direct diplomatic rebuke from Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who said Trump should face criminal charges for allowing an attack on unarmed people.
- UNODC global-use statistic cited in the UNGA context: 316 million people used drugs in 2023, cited to illustrate scale and the reason the issue drew attention at the U.N.
Trump unleashes US military power on cartels. Is a wider war looming?
New information:
- Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine filed a War Powers resolution seeking to block U.S. forces from engaging in 'hostilities' against certain non-state organizations.
- The article states the administration has conducted 'at least three deadly strikes' on alleged Venezuelan drug vessels and notes the earlier August deployment of guided-missile destroyers to U.S. Southern Command.
- Quotations and analysis from Atlantic Council senior fellow Geoff Ramsey warning the strikes carry a 'real risk of escalation' and could destabilize Venezuela if they move inside Venezuelan territory.
Dominican Republic says it recovered cocaine that was on speedboat destroyed by U.S. military
New information:
- Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control says it recovered 377 packages of cocaine from the go‑fast boat destroyed by the U.S. Navy.
- Officials specified the location as about 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata and said the vessel was allegedly carrying 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.
- Dominican authorities called it the first joint U.S.–Dominican operation against 'narco terrorism,' conducted with the Dominican Navy and U.S. counterparts.
Drug-smuggling boat struck by US was carrying more than a ton of suspected cocaine, Dominican Republic says
New information:
- Dominican Republic officially states the struck 'Go Fast' boat carried approximately 1,000 kg of suspected cocaine and that hundreds of packages were recovered.
- DNCD says the seizure was conducted in close coordination with U.S. SOUTHCOM and JIATF‑South and labels it the first 'joint operation against narcoterrorism in the Caribbean region' between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.
- Recovered packages were transferred under chain of custody to INACIF for forensic confirmation of type and exact weight.
- Dominican statement says the boat was heading to Dominican territory to use it as a transit 'bridge' to the United States.
Boat destroyed by U.S. held 1,000 kilos of cocaine, Dominican Republic says
New information:
- Dominican Republic’s DNCD says it recovered 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by a U.S. aerial strike, with the vessel allegedly carrying about 1,000 kg.
- The destruction occurred roughly 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata; Dominican Navy coordinated with U.S. authorities.
- DNCD characterized it as the first joint U.S.–Dominican operation against 'narcoterrorists' in the Caribbean and released video of seized bricks labeled 'MEN'.
- The White House has said at least three boats have been destroyed so far; CBS notes human-rights concerns and a new Senate resolution to block further strikes.
U.S. carried out 3rd fatal strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean, Trump says
New information:
- AP/PBS attributes new details to a Trump post: the latest strike killed three and targeted a vessel 'affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization' in the USSOUTHCOM AOR.
- White House communications director Steven Cheung amplified the strike video and message on X; the Pentagon deferred questions to the White House.
- The administration asserted 'intelligence confirmed' the boat was trafficking narcotics along a known route; no precise location provided.
- National security officials told members of Congress the first boat taken out was fired upon multiple times after it changed course and appeared to head back to shore.
- Adds on-the-record reactions and legal concerns from senators (both parties) and human-rights groups questioning the strikes’ legal basis.
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro alternately claimed the first strike video was AI-generated and accused the U.S. of seeking regime change.
U.S. Military Buildup in Caribbean Signals Broader Campaign Against Venezuela
New information:
- U.S. has deployed roughly 4,500 personnel across eight warships to the Caribbean for a counternarcotics/counterterrorism mission.
- F‑35 fighters have been moved to Puerto Rico as part of the buildup.
- Clandestine Special Operations forces are deployed, suggesting potential raids or strikes beyond interdictions at sea.
- Adm. James G. Stavridis characterizes the posture as 'gunboat diplomacy' aimed at regime or behavioral change in Caracas.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly calls Maduro a 'fugitive of American justice' and notes a reward for his capture.
- Nicolás Maduro condemns the initial Sept. 2 strike as a 'heinous crime' and accuses the U.S. of trying to provoke war.
- Analysts note the eastern Pacific—not the Caribbean—is the main vector for drug flows, implying the mission’s focus is Venezuela pressure rather than pure interdiction.
Trump says U.S. military fatally struck another alleged drug-smuggling boat
New information:
- Pentagon deferred inquiries about the strike to the White House, which did not clarify the vessel’s origins or affiliation.
- White House communications director Steven Cheung amplified the strike video on X with the line, “It was at this moment, the narcoterrorists knew they screwed up.”
- Trump’s posted video appears to show two missiles striking the boat before it explodes and sinks.
- Adds context that several senators from both parties and human-rights groups are questioning the legality of using the military for law-enforcement purposes.
Trump orders 'lethal kinetic strike' on drug trafficking boat in international waters, three killed
New information:
- Trump specifies the strike occurred in international waters.
- Trump’s post states, “On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike,” an unusual phrasing highlighted by Fox.
- Reiterates no U.S. forces were harmed and includes the posted strike video clip.
- Frames target as linked to a designated terrorist organization trafficking narcotics within USSOUTHCOM’s area.
Trump says U.S. military has struck another alleged drug boat, killing 3
New information:
- Trump announced the strike Friday via Truth Social and shared a video of the engagement.
- Three men were killed; no Americans were harmed, per the president.
- The strike occurred somewhere in SOUTHCOM’s AOR; Trump said it was along a known narcotrafficking route and called it at least the third recent strike.