Overview
- Defense Department inspectors launched a self‑initiated evaluation in a May 11 memo to check how U.S. Southern Command selected and hit alleged drug boats under Operation Southern Spear.
- The work will occur at the Pentagon and SOUTHCOM headquarters in Florida, with the scope centered on the Joint Targeting Cycle that guides mission intent, target development, intelligence, decision, execution, and assessment.
- Pentagon data show nearly 60 strikes since September 2025 destroyed 59 vessels and killed about 193 people, with the latest reported strike on May 8 killing two and leaving one survivor.
- Critics in Congress and human rights groups question the legal basis because the administration relies on a classified Justice Department opinion that treats cartels as wartime foes, and reporting cites a follow‑up strike that killed survivors as a possible law‑of‑war violation.
- The campaign marks a shift from traditional interdiction toward lethal force at sea, which could face tighter oversight or procedural changes depending on what the inspector general finds.