U.S. Launches “Operation Southern Lance” Targeting Narcotics Trafficking
The U.S. Department of Defense announced Thursday the commencement of “Operation Southern Lance,” a military operation aimed at disrupting narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated the operation was ordered by President Trump and is being carried out by Joint Task Force Lanza del Sur and U.S. Southern Command.
According to the Pentagon, the mission is intended to “defend our homeland, expel narco-terrorists from our hemisphere and protect our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people.” The announcement follows the January creation of Joint Task Force Lanza del Sur, tasked with deploying “surface vessels and drones” for counternarcotics operations.
The launch of Operation Southern lance coincides with the recent arrival of the USS Gerald Ford, the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier,to the region under the purview of U.S. Southern Command.The carrier and its accompanying strike group have joined existing naval forces operating in international waters near Venezuela.
Pentagon officials reported a recent engagement in the Caribbean against a suspected drug vessel, marking the twentieth such incident sence the start of escalated operations in September. These operations have resulted in 80 civilian deaths, according to Pentagon reports.
The U.S. goverment maintains the operation’s primary goal is to combat the flow of narcotics into the United States, which contributes to a significant number of fatalities annually. though,Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has asserted the operation aims to instigate regime change within his country,and called for peace in the region,urging the U.S.to avoid further conflict.
Secretary of State Marco rubio has stated that the U.S. government does not intend to deploy military forces to Mexico or undertake “unilateral actions” in the fight against drug trafficking.
