US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a new military campaign called Operation Southern Spear, a move that deepens concern across Latin America as Washington expands its naval and air presence in the region. Hegseth said the operation is aimed at removing what he described as narco-terrorist networks and protecting the United States from the flow of illicit drugs.
He made the declaration in a short message on X, saying the mission would defend the homeland and confront criminal groups operating across the hemisphere. His statement offered no explanation of how the new campaign differs from ongoing US anti-drug operations already underway in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The Trump administration has been running an extensive military effort in the region, deploying warships, aircraft and surveillance assets under an anti-narcotics mandate. Since early September, US forces have struck about twenty vessels in international waters, with US officials reporting at least seventy-six fatalities linked to those operations.
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Requests for further clarification on the scope and strategy of Operation Southern Spear were directed back to Hegseth’s social media post, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
CBS News reported this week that senior US military officers have presented President Trump with updated options for action in Venezuela, including plans that involve strikes on land. That development follows growing friction over the expanding US naval presence around the country.
Venezuela announced its own large-scale military deployment on Tuesday, saying it was a direct response to the arrival of a US aircraft carrier strike group in nearby waters, along with F-35 fighters stationed in Puerto Rico and six additional US Navy ships operating in the Caribbean. Officials in Caracas argue that the build-up is part of a covert attempt to destabilise the government.
The situation has heightened fears of a wider confrontation as both sides harden their positions and military assets continue to gather across the region.
