Drug runners have historically been designated as criminals rather than enemy combatants—raising questions about the legality of Trump’s ongoing military campaign.

President Donald Trump has launched a campaign of missile strikes against alleged narcoterrorist boats in the Caribbean, raising questions about presidential authority and the use of force—and also showcasing the technology of tactics of America at war in the 21st century. Granted, the strikes against Venezuelan drug runners are not full-scale war—but they are acts of war on a miniature scale, borrowing heavily from the lessons learned throughout the Global War on Terrorism, where drones were used to target suspected terrorists around the world. And while the Trump administration has withheld operational details about the maritime strikes, open-source clues suggest a modern, precision-guided interdiction.

How the Navy Targets (Alleged) Drug Smugglers

The targets so far have been small boats—so called “go-fasts” or slower fishing vessels, both of which are often used for drug smuggling. Such boats ride low in the water and are usually made of fiberglass, offering minimal radar signatures, which makes them hard to detect and track without the sophisticated surveillance available to the US military. To locate the vessels, the US has likely leaned on its well-developed counter-narcotics infrastructure at US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which maintains an extensive sensor and command network across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The network integrates satellite imagery, maritime patrol aircraft, and Coast Guard intelligence—enabling near-instant detection of vessels transitioning north from Venezuelan waters. 

Once a target is designated, shooters are selected—in this case, most likely the MQ-9 Reaper drone or MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopter operating from destroyers or littoral combat ships deployed in the region. The MQ-9, long used for precision strikes in the Middle East, can loiter for more than 20 hours, carry multiple Hellfire missiles, and deliver them with pinpoint accuracy. Deployment in the Caribbean would fit Trump’s developing pattern of low-risk, high-visibility operations. The MH-60R/S, meanwhile, can carry the same missiles, and is a standard Navy tool for disabling small surface threats.

The US surface vessels supporting these strikes are likely a hybrid of Navy and Coast Guard assets, like the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, and Coast Guard cutters, which serve to give the White House a mixture of surveillance, command, and strike capability in the region. These ships can coordinate with airborne assets like the MQ-9 or MH-60R/S, through the Navy’s Link-16 data network, ensuring that targets identified by radar or drone feed can be engaged near-instantaneously. 

That’s a lot of firepower against a few fishing vessels!

Lessons Learned from the War on Terror

While interdiction in the Caribbean is new, the methods are not. The United States is applying lessons learned through the past two and a half decades of perpetual conflict, mostly in the Middle East: persistent surveillance, algorithmic targeting, and automation of warfighting to ensure minimal risk to US troops.

Aside from the theater, the adversary is also new. Drug runners have historically been designated as criminals rather than enemy combatants. In that sense, the ongoing operations are legally dubious—a point that some of the campaign’s opponents in Congress have raised. But from a purely operational standpoint, the strikes underscore how flexible and routinized US precision operations have become. In technical terms, they demonstrate just how fine-tuned and lethal US operations are—capable of targeting and eliminating a small, moving object without warning. 

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer at The National Interest. Kass is an attorney and former political candidate who joined the US Air Force as a pilot trainee before being medically discharged. He focuses on military strategy, aerospace, and global security affairs. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global Journalism and International Relations from NYU.

Image: Shutterstock / Kit Leong.

The post What to Know About Trump’s Venezuelan Boat Bombing Campaign appeared first on The National Interest.