The Pentagon launched the 'Southern Lance' operation this Thursday without explaining its objectives and implications in the strategy against drug trafficking originating from Latin America, generating greater tension and doubts due to the pressure from President Donald Trump's administration on Venezuela and Colombia, with attacks on boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
The military operation, named 'Southern Lance', was announced by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on his official X account, defining it as a mission that seeks to expel 'narcoterrorists' from the hemisphere and protect the United States 'from the drugs' they send to the country.
Hegseth's announcement was not accompanied by context or the timeline of the mission, raising doubts about whether it is a renaming of operations that the Southern Command has been carrying out in international waters since August or a new step in the strategy with yet-to-be-announced operations.
Hours before the Pentagon news, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the presence of U.S. military forces in Mexico or undertaking 'unilateral actions' in the neighboring country against drug trafficking without the country's authorities requesting it.
However, in the case of Venezuela and Colombia, Trump did not rule out possible attacks on land targets, as he announced in October during various interventions in the Oval Office, when he claimed to have neutralized maritime trafficking with dozens of attacks on crewed boats, eliminating the individuals on board.
Since August, U.S. forces have reinforced their operations in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, deploying warships and troops to support maritime interdictions. According to official reports, more than 76,000 pounds of drugs have been seized and at least 15 attacks on vessels have been carried out, resulting in the deaths of more than 60 people on board.
The deployment includes the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and several warships, as part of the Joint Task Force and Southern Command effort, representing a significant increase in the U.S. military presence in the region.
An escalation in Trump's offensive on South American soil where the announcement of the 'Southern Lance' operation, lacking context and details of its functioning, has caused confusion and alarm.
