Pentagon Kills Four, Cites 'Designated Terrorist Organization' in Pacific
The US Southern Command released video of the strike, proudly proclaiming the kinetic elimination of a 'Designated Terrorist Organization' vessel, all at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's direction. Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, certainly understands the optics of a good action-hero narrative. This move follows a disturbing trend of expanding US military operations under the guise of drug
interdiction, blurring lines between law enforcement and acts of war. One might recall similar expansive claims justified interventions in Central and South America for decades, often supporting regimes that destabilized regions more than any drug cartel ever could. Instead of addressing congressional 'turmoil' or the inconvenient legality, the Pentagon simply escalates, transforming international
waters into a new arena for unilateral 'kinetic strikes.' It appears that when the US military decides someone is a 'terrorist organization,' due process becomes less a right and more a suggestion. How many more 'suspected' vessels will be incinerated before Congress remembers its oversight duties, or before we ask why militarized interventions are always the preferred solution?