OPINION / FINE PRINT — “The U.S. Coast Guard introduced [last] Tuesday it has seized greater than 100,000 kilos of cocaine within the jap Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August, averaging over 1,600 kilos interdicted every day. These drug seizures, and the apprehension of 86 people suspected of narco-trafficking, have been the results of 34 interdictions since early August. By means of Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-drug operations within the jap Pacific Ocean, the place vital transport of illicit narcotics continues from Central and South America. In coordination with worldwide and interagency companions, the Coast Guard is surging extra property — cutters, plane and tactical groups — to interdict, seize and disrupt transshipments of cocaine and different bulk illicit medicine.”
That’s the start of a U.S. Coast Guard press assertion launched final Tuesday, which has gotten little nationwide publicity.
I publish it, and extra about Operation Pacific Viper, as a result of till final week I had no information of this profitable Coast Guard operation. It’s essential, as a result of sooner or later later, within the Oval Workplace final Wednesday, President Trump was requested by a reporter why he had not used the Coast Guard to cease alleged Venezuelan narco-boats quite than having – at the moment — not less than 5 of them blown up inflicting the deaths of 27 people. A sixth narco-vessel was destroyed final Friday killing three extra people.
Final Wednesday, Trump replied, “We have been doing that [using Coast Guard interdiction] for 30 years and it has been completely ineffective.” Trump went on: “They [the Venezuelan narco-traffickers] have quicker boats. A few of these boats are significantly, I imply they’re world-class speedboats, however they are not quicker than missiles.”
Apparently, the “world-class speedboats” haven’t affected the Coast Guard interdiction actions within the jap Pacific. Beneath is a Coast Guard-released picture of Coast Guard Cutter USS Hamilton with its two boarding groups out interdicting two go-fast speedboats suspected of drug smuggling. It was taken June 26, 2025, southeast of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
As final Tuesday’s Coast Guard press launch defined, “Detecting and interdicting narco-terrorism on the excessive seas entails vital interagency and worldwide coordination. U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM’s) Joint Interagency Process Pressure-South (JIATFS), based mostly in Key West, Florida, detects and screens each aerial and maritime transit of unlawful medicine. As soon as interdiction turns into imminent, the legislation enforcement section of the operation begins, and management of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard all through the interdiction and apprehension.”
I ought to level out that SOUTHCOM’s JIATFS is a Protection Division (DoD) command that makes use of the capabilities of U.S. intelligence and legislation enforcement companies, allies and companion nations to detect, monitor, and help interdiction of illicit narcotics actions within the air and maritime all through the Western Hemisphere – which means each the Pacific and Caribbean areas.
Let me emphasize, SOUTHCOM directs what takes place each within the jap Pacific and the Caribbean areas.
Within the case of final June’s narco-trafficker speedboat within the above picture, the boat was initially detected by a U.S. Navy maritime patrol plane. Then the Hamilton’s personal Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew took over and supplied airborne tactical help. Amongst their particular weapons are helicopter-mounted, long-range rifles that may hit and disable the engines mounted on the rear of narco-trafficker speedboats. The result’s the speedboats within the jap Pacific are being halted, the crews arrested, and seizure of greater than 4,475 kilos of cocaine, in keeping with the Coast Guard.
Within the Caribbean, the U.S. has Coast Guard cutters just like the Hamilton, but in addition different U.S. Navy vessels that I consider would have permitted seizure of the 5 speedboats that as an alternative have been blown up. Whereas the primary Caribbean-located speedboat destroyed September 1, was shifting, maybe heading again to the place it got here from, movies of the subsequent 4 that have been destroyed confirmed they weren’t shifting within the water earlier than they have been struck and exploded.
Why had these 4 stopped?
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Final Thursday, Protection Secretary Hegseth introduced a sixth strike, this time towards a slow-moving semi-submersible submarine-type boat utilized by narco-traffickers in each the Caribbean and jap Pacific.
On Friday, in an Oval Workplace press availability, President Trump stated, “We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine constructed particularly for the transportation of huge quantities of medicine.” The semi-submersible was destroyed, however whereas two crew members have been killed, two survived.
Right here I ought to notice that beneath Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard has additionally launched current video exhibiting its personnel capturing a semi-submersible narco-trafficking vessel within the jap Pacific, arresting its crew and seizing its medicine.
On Friday, President Trump tried to rationalize the Caribbean coverage of blowing up narco-trafficking vessels, with no point out that within the jap Pacific beneath Operation Pacific Viper related narco-traffickers are stopped, boarded, crews arrested and medicines seized.
Trump on Friday defended the Caribbean destruction/killing coverage saying, “We had super quantities coming in by boats, by very costly boats. You recognize, they’ve some huge cash, very quick, very costly boats that have been fairly large. And the way in which you take a look at it’s each boat that we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives. So each time you see a ship [destroyed] and you’re feeling badly, you say, ‘Wow, that is tough.’ It’s tough. However in the event you lose three folks and save 25,000 folks — these are folks which are killing our inhabitants. Each boat is saving 25,000 lives.”
However, Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Space, whose Operation Pacific Viper since August has carried out 34 interdictions and arrested 86 suspected narco-traffickers, stated final Tuesday, “Our maritime preventing power is scouring drug smuggling routes within the jap Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks. We’re complementing the Coast Guard’s distinctive legislation enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to cease the movement of lethal medicine that threaten U.S. communities.”
Why a killing coverage within the Caribbean and an interdiction coverage within the jap Pacific?
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On Thursday, the identical day that Secretary Hegseth introduced the placing of the semi-submersible, Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of SOUTHCOM, unexpectedly introduced he was retiring after lower than a yr into what usually is a three-to-four yr project. Holsey gave no cause.
Nevertheless, The New York Occasions reported final Thursday that one present and one former U.S. official stated Adm. Holsey “had raised issues in regards to the mission and the assaults on the alleged drug boats.”
The Trump administration has argued that drug cartels are International Terrorist Organizations and Transnational Prison Organizations and it’s the coverage of the U.S. “to make sure the entire elimination of those organizations’ presence in the USA and their skill to threaten the territory, security, and safety of the USA,” in keeping with an Government Order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
This has led to the Trump administration’s authorized justification for utilizing navy power towards narco-traffickers within the Caribbean, classifying them as “illegal combatants.” This coverage shift has been extremely controversial and has triggered debate amongst lawmakers and authorized specialists.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), showing Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation, stated, “This [Caribbean] operation, which is clearly, historically a legislation enforcement operation, now escalating to one thing possibly, because the President talks about, regime change. I feel that is the unsuitable transfer for this President. The Coast Guard has the assets to do that.”
A Navy pilot for greater than 20 years who flew 39 fight missions throughout Desert Storm, and later three house flights as a NASA astronaut, Kelly added, “I do fear in regards to the authorized authorities or lack thereof that the USA navy has to conduct these sorts of strikes… These admirals and generals, they should converse reality to energy. I’ve had conversations with probably the most senior members of our navy about this particular factor. They can’t be breaking the legislation.”
Kelly went on, “[It] would not matter if the President or the Secretary of Protection tells them to do one thing. If it is towards the legislation, they need to say no. They are not required to observe an illegal order. So we anticipate that from them.”
When it got here to Adm. Holsey’s shock retirement, Kelly stated, “I do not know the precise circumstances, why the admiral give up. He hasn’t stated publicly but. I anticipate, in time, we will discover out extra.”
Allow us to hope so, from Adm. Holsey or another navy personnel concerned within the Caribbean killing operations.
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