Topline
The U.S. military struck four suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels in the Pacific Monday, killing 14, in another major escalation of its campaign against drug cartels.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a meeting between Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 20, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
The U.S. military first struck two vessels carrying eight “narco-terrorists,” a second vessel carrying four and a third carrying three, as part of its increasingly controversial campaign against drug-trafficking, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X Tuesday.
Hegseth said there was one survivor and no U.S. forces were harmed.
The strikes are the second wave of attacks in the Pacific, building on a military campaign against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean that began in September.
More than 50 people have died in the attacks.
The attacks have generated growing bipartisan criticism, with members of Congress reporting the Trump administration has not provided enough evidence to justify the use of the U.S. military to deal with what’s typically a law enforcement issue, and experts questioning whether the Trump administration has the authority to conduct the strikes without congressional approval.
Chief Critic
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., suggested what he referred to as “extrajudicial killings” were unconstitutional, telling Fox News on Sunday “a briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.