November 14, 2025
U.S. deploys 15,000 troops and world's largest aircraft carrier to Caribbean in campaign against drug boats
On Nov. 13, 2025, Defense Secretary 
Pete Hegseth formally announced Operation Southern Spear, naming an existing campaign of military strikes that had been underway since early September 2025. The Pentagon described it as a 'formal operation naming' for what Joint Task Force Southern Spear and SOUTHCOM had already been doing.
As of Nov. 14, the U.S. had conducted 20 lethal strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 79 people. The Trump administration called all of those killed 'narco-terrorists,' but Pentagon officials acknowledged they couldn't confirm the identities of those on the boats.
The USS Gerald R. Ford — the world's largest aircraft carrier, carrying over 4,000 sailors and F/A-18 Super Hornets capable of firing Tomahawk missiles — arrived in the SOUTHCOM area on Nov. 11, 2025. The carrier's deployment signaled that the administration was considering operations beyond boat strikes, potentially including land strikes inside Venezuela.
The Trump administration never sought congressional authorization for the strikes. The DOJ argued in November 2025 that the 60-day limit under the War Powers Resolution did not apply because unmanned vehicles were used, placing no U.S. troops in harm's way. Critics called this a novel and dangerous legal interpretation.
The Senate voted 51–48 on Oct. 8 to reject a resolution by Sens. 
Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would have required congressional approval for further strikes. The Senate voted again in November on a second resolution targeting Venezuela specifically, and again rejected it.
The Washington Post reported in November 2025 that two anonymous sources said Hegseth gave a verbal order to SEAL Team Six to 'leave no survivors.' Two men who survived an initial strike were subsequently killed in what the sources described as a 'double tap' strike. The Pentagon denied the report. Hegseth called it 'completely false.'
Colombia, Mexico, the European Union, and the UN human rights chief condemned the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings. Colombian President Gustavo Petro visited the UN General Assembly in September and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders. The State Department revoked Petro's visa on Sept. 27, 2025, in response.
Experts noted that Venezuela is not the top source of illegal narcotics entering the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro repeatedly denied that the boats struck were running drugs. The ELN — a Colombian guerrilla group — also denied involvement after the U.S. struck a vessel it accused of ELN ties on Oct. 17.
U.S. Secretary of Defense
Commander, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
President of Venezuela
President of Colombia
U.S. Senator (D-CA)
U.S. Representative (D-WA), Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
U.S. Secretary of State
U.S. Senator (D-VA)
Vice President of the United States
civic action
Contact your senators about the War Powers Resolution
The Senate voted 51–48 to reject a resolution requiring congressional approval for strikes in the region. If your senator voted no, you can push them to reconsider. If your senator voted yes, you can thank them and urge them to keep pressing.
Hello, my name is [Name] and I'm a constituent from [City, State]. I'm calling about Operation Southern Spear and the War Powers Resolution. The U.S. has now conducted 20 lethal strikes killing at least 79 people without congressional authorization. I'm asking Senator [Name] to support legislation requiring the president to obtain congressional approval before conducting further military strikes in the Western Hemisphere. Can you tell me the Senator's current position on this?
oversight
Request transparency about who has been killed
The Pentagon has not publicly identified any of the 79 people killed in 20 strikes. Under the Freedom of Information Act, citizens can request records related to the strikes, including any intelligence assessments used to authorize them.
I am filing a FOIA request for: all records, intelligence assessments, legal memoranda, and after-action reports related to Operation Southern Spear, including the identities of individuals killed in strikes conducted between September 2025 and present, and any legal opinions regarding the applicability of the War Powers Resolution to unmanned vehicle strikes.
civic education
Track the Congressional response via GovTrack or Congress.gov
Multiple resolutions have been introduced to limit the administration's authority to strike in the Western Hemisphere without congressional approval. GovTrack and Congress.gov let you track these bills in real time and see how your representative voted.