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Source: Fox News
Summary
Senior administration officials praised President Donald Trump’s use of military force against cartels during a press call. They said the strategy marked the first time the U.S. used direct military force to defend the homeland from cartel threats. Officials claimed the actions led to a significant drop in U.S. casualties. They also noted that the U.S. has carried out 227 strikes against alleged drug smugglers. The officials said the policy has created political space for new governments to partner with the U.S. against cartels.
Our Reading
As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
Officials repeat the same lines about military force and reduced casualties.
They name the same countries and same numbers.
They mention the same strikes and same warnings.
It feels like a routine, not a new strategy.
Author: Evan Null
Trump’s Military Strategy
Senior administration officials praised President Donald Trump’s use of military force against cartels during a press call. They said the strategy marked the first time the U.S. used direct military force to defend the homeland from cartel threats. Officials claimed the actions led to a significant drop in U.S. casualties. They also noted that the U.S. has carried out 227 strikes against alleged drug smugglers. The officials said the policy has created political space for new governments to partner with the U.S. against cartels.
Official Statements
One of the officials said the effects have been spectacular, and the largest and steepest reduction in U.S. casualties inflicted by the cartels in American history. The official also indicated that the U.S. action “has created the political space — because we are now taking the fight to the cartels — for new governments to be elected that are going to partner directly with us to fight this battle.” They pointed to several countries in the Western Hemisphere as examples.
Counter-Narcotics Operations
One of the other officials noted that “U.S. Southern Command’s counter-narcotics operations have driven record reductions in illicit maritime activity,” which includes a 65% reduction in the Western Caribbean, a decline of 60% for the eastern Caribbean, and a nearly 50% decrease in key regions of the Eastern Pacific. With Trump as commander in chief, the U.S. military has executed dozens of deadly attacks against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.”
Controversial Policy
The president’s policy of using lethal strikes against alleged drug traffickers has been controversial. An official on the call said that America’s actions in the Western Hemisphere have yielded “a huge deterrent impact on bad actors all around the world” by showing the nation’s “willingness to use lethal force to protect our core interests.” The officials repeated the same lines about military force and reduced casualties.
Continued Actions
The U.S. has carried out 227 strikes against alleged drug smugglers. They mention the same countries and same numbers. They also mention the same strikes and same warnings. It feels like a routine, not a new strategy. The officials said the policy has created political space for new governments to partner with the U.S. against cartels.
