Pentagon’s internal watchdog to probe U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s inspector general said Monday he is investigating U.S. Southern Command for targeting suspected drug smuggling boats as part of the military’s campaign against drug cartels, which some critics view as illegal.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Southern Command has targeted nearly 60 small boats that the military says were transporting drugs across the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, destroying 59 ships and killing 193 people since the campaign began last fall, according to the Pentagon.

The internal watchdog will review Southern Command intelligence and targeting used in the strikes, as well as other aspects of operations against drug cartels, according to a May 11 letter from the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General.

“The scope of this assessment includes the joint process for ships targeted in the U.S. Southern Command area of ​​responsibility as part of Operation Southern Spear,” an inspector general spokeswoman said in a separate statement in response to a media inquiry.

Operation Southern Spear is the name given by the Pentagon to the campaign against suspected drug trafficking boats.

The inspector general has opened an investigation, the spokesperson said. “This project was self-initiated on the basis of [Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General’s] continuous evaluation of programs and operations.

It was unclear how long the investigation would last, according to a U.S. official. This will involve investigations within the Pentagon and at Southern Command headquarters in Miami, according to the letter.

There was no immediate comment from Southern Command or the Pentagon.

The investigation will focus on military doctrine that governs how Southern Command targets drug traffickers aboard small boats, according to the letter.

In this context, the targeting process is divided into six phases: commander’s intent, development of each target, analysis and intelligence surrounding each target, decision to hit that target, planning and execution, and evaluation, according to the US official.

The lead military lawyer for the combatant command overseeing deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats near Venezuela disagreed with the Trump administration’s position that the operations were legal, and his opinions were set aside, NBC News reported in November.

Many lawmakers, including some Republicans, have denounced the operations, questioning their legality and demanding greater oversight of them. The war with Iran has distracted from the ongoing strikes. Southern Command has carried out three strikes so far in May, killing seven people, according to Pentagon data.

In one case, the United States targeted a boat that had survivors on it and returned with another strike that killed those people, a potential violation of the laws of armed conflict.

Shortly after the Pentagon launched its campaign against drug cartels in September, Southern Command Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey announced he was stepping down after just one year in office. He was replaced by Marine Corps General Frank Donovan.