The Pentagon's internal watchdog has launched an investigation into whether US military commanders adhered to proper procedures when conducting boat strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The inquiry, initiated by the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Defense, will examine if commanders followed the standard six-step process required before approving and executing lethal strikes, according to a memo outlining the review.
The review focuses on operations run by US Southern Command, which oversees American military activity across the region from its base in Doral, Florida. The Pentagon declined to comment, and Southern Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Operation Southern Spear Under Scrutiny
Operation Southern Spear, a US military campaign targeting boats in the Caribbean Sea, has sparked widespread outrage and allegations that the US has violated international law. The Trump administration described the operation as an effort to combat "narco-traffickers" from Latin America heading to the US. Since its inception, the US has conducted at least 58 attacks, killing 193 people, including 13 missing and presumed dead, according to a tracker from the law journal Just Security.
The administration has insisted the operation is "on firm legal ground." In November, Sean Parnell, then chief spokesperson at the Pentagon, stated: "Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both US and international law, with all actions in complete compliance with the law of armed conflict."
Investigation Details
The inspector general's office did not immediately comment on what prompted the investigation or when findings will be published. However, the office told Bloomberg News that the inquiry is self-initiated and not from a congressional request. Human rights groups, watchdogs, and international bodies, including a UN panel of human rights experts, have said the strikes amount to extrajudicial executions and violate US and international law.
A joint investigation published this month by journalists led by the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism identified 13 of those killed, finding they came from extremely poor communities with little or no apparent connection to organized drug networks. The victims were described as day laborers who took work on boats out of desperation, not as figures with meaningful roles in the drug trade. "The US is not taking down any Pablo Escobar or El Chapo," said María Teresa Ronderos, the center's director, adding that strikes hit young people living in precarious conditions.
Families of some victims have filed lawsuits against the US government, alleging the attacks were unlawful. Democrats have repeatedly tried and failed to rein in the operation through Congress. Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia sponsored a resolution to prevent further strikes without congressional approval, which failed in the Senate 51–48 in October. The Republican-controlled Senate twice rejected resolutions limiting the administration's authority for military action.
In December, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, said his committee found "no evidence of war crimes" after its own examination. In March, Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Sara Jacobs wrote a letter supporting an inter-American human rights investigation into the strikes' legality. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said at a G7 meeting in November that the strikes violated international law and risked destabilizing the region. Colombian President Gustavo Petro addressed the UN General Assembly in September, calling for a criminal process against Donald Trump over the strikes.
The inspector general's office will conduct its review at the Pentagon and Southern Command headquarters, asking senior officials to designate points of contact within five days.
