National Security Leaders for America: Maritime Strikes as an Ineffective, Illegal Response to Drugs

Warning strikes were carried out on thin evidence, will hinder future counternarcotics efforts, and are illegal.

October 23, 2025

Washington, DC, National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) today condemned the Trump Administration’s continued authorization of lethal strikes on boats in South American waters suspected of trafficking drugs, as ineffective, carried out on paltry intelligence and without congressional authorization, and a violation of U.S. and international laws. 

“Narcotics trafficking is a threat, and the United States government has a duty to protect Americans from it,” said Retired Navy Rear Admiral Michael Smith, NSL4A Founder and President. “We fully support the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard in their lawful missions to detect, intercept, and board vessels suspected of smuggling drugs. These missions, conducted in accordance with established maritime law and congressional authorization, reflect the professionalism and moral integrity of our maritime services. They are also effective, seizing hundreds of thousands of pounds of narcotics every year.” 

“These strikes did nothing to keep Americans from dying from fentanyl,” said NSL4A member Rear Adm. William “Bill” Baumgartner (USCG, Ret.), former Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District that oversaw drug-interdiction operations. “With this indiscriminate military action, we not only killed the occupants without due process or confirmed hostile intent, but we also destroyed any evidence, eliminated the possibility of gathering intelligence from them, frustrated our international allies in combating the flow of illegal drugs, and we have abandoned the frameworks we’ve developed over the last 50 years to approach this legally.” 

Recent reports of internal dissent—culminating in the early retirement of Admiral Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command—underscore growing concern within the ranks about the legality and morality of these operations. When senior officers feel compelled to step down rather than preside over unlawful actions, it should alarm every American who values civilian control and accountability under law.

Smith added, “America’s strength has never rested on the exercise of raw power, but on the moral authority that comes from adhering to the principles we defend.” 

“These strikes appear to be acts of war conducted outside the bounds of the Constitution— eroding the rule of law, damaging America’s global standing, and risking implicating our servicemembers in potential war crimes for carrying out unlawful orders,” stated Baumgartner, adding “The only thing we know with reasonable certainty is that these boats were not carrying fentanyl bound for the United States, as virtually none of the fentanyl on America’s streets comes from Venezuela, and the destroyed boats were hundreds of miles from America’s shores.”

NSL4A urges Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to demand effective counternarcotics operations, stop further violations of the law, and prevent our Armed Forces from being misused.