Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has revealed that the administration of President Donald Trump is escalating is campaign against Latin American drug cartels. 

Newsmax reports that Hegseth made the announcement on Friday.

He did so on social media, writing, "We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists."

We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists.

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 28, 2025

The details

Newsmax details the efforts of the Trump administration against these cartels.

It reports:

The military operation, identified as Operation Southern Spear, has already seen a string of lethal actions against vessels suspected of facilitating drug smuggling in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to publicly available records, the strikes have resulted in at least 83 deaths after more than 20 separate hits since early September.

President Trump has recently indicated that he is considering land attacks against Venezuela.

All of this is not without controversy, in Washington, D.C., where some lawmakers are trying to claim that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally carry out such a campaign.

Hegseth also recently landed at the center of controversy after a Washington Post report claimed that he had ordered "to kill everybody" on a drug boat that the U.S. military attacked in September.

More "Fake News"

Hegseth responded to the Post's report with a social media message making it clear that the Trump administration is following the law.

He wrote:

As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland. As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be “lethal, kinetic strikes.” The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.

Hegseth went on to say that "the Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach," which had bad consequences for our country.

"Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them," Hegseth wrote.

He concluded:

Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command. Our warriors in SOUTHCOM put their lives on the line every day to protect the Homeland from narco-terrorists — and I will ALWAYS have their back.