WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has apprised Congress that the US is involved in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels due to recent operations targeting suspected trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.
The War Department has informed House and Senate members that a series of airstrikes conducted in September aimed at trafficking organizations that are now classified as combatants engaged in an “armed attack” on America, caused by a disturbing rise in drug overdose fatalities, as per sources familiar with the discussions shared with The Post.
The so-called “1230 report,” named for a section in the annual defense authorization legislation, “is legally required… following any incident where United States Armed Forces are involved in an attack or hostilities,” said a White House spokesperson.
“This report was delivered to Congress in response to the September 15 strike against a Designated Terrorist Organization,” the spokesperson elaborated. “It does not provide any new information.”
The Pentagon’s announcement was first covered by the New York Times on Thursday.
During a recent address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, President Trump proudly discussed recent airstrikes that led to the sinking of four alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
“If you try to poison our people, we will eliminate you completely,” Trump asserted, addressing the destruction of vessels reportedly trafficking cocaine and fentanyl into the United States. “That’s the only language they really understand. That’s why you don’t see many boats in the ocean anymore.”
The initial three strikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 17 individuals, with the first attack targeting members of a Venezuelan prison gang involved in drug trafficking on September 2.
“[A]t the President’s command, and in accordance with the law of armed conflict, on September 15, 2025, U.S. forces struck an unflagged vessel located beyond the territorial seas of any country,” the recent notice detailed.
“The vessel was assessed by U.S. intelligence as being connected to a designated terrorist organization and was actively engaged in trafficking illegal drugs capable of harming Americans. This operation resulted in the vessel’s destruction, the loss of the illicit narcotics, and the death of approximately three unlawful combatants.”
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who chairs the Intelligence Committee, emphasized that the president “has the authority under Article II of the Constitution to take measures against narcoterrorists who are waging war on the United States.”
“Murderous drug cartels are accountable for countless American deaths and have long afflicted American communities,” Cotton expressed. “I applaud President Trump’s decisive actions against these terrorist organizations, and I encourage him to maintain efforts to safeguard our nation from the drugs and violence they perpetuate.”
Approximately 100,000 Americans succumb to drug overdoses each year. In 2024, over 70,000 of these deaths were linked to cocaine or synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re targeting boats in the Caribbean because of their ties to international narco-terrorist organizations,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) stated during a Judiciary Committee hearing last month.
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In that same hearing, Graham informed FBI Director Kash Patel that Venezuela might qualify as a state sponsor of terrorism under US law.
When questioned about the legal authority for airstrikes against these vessels, Patel directed the inquiry to the Pentagon.
“We will furnish the intelligence needed for any entity that meets the standards to be labeled a state sponsor of terror,” the FBI chief remarked.
Dan Meyer, a partner at Tully Rinckey law firm specializing in national security matters, stated on Thursday: “Our military has been deployed to Central and South America for years in support of international law enforcement operations performing very similar actions. The media simply hasn’t covered it.”
“Now the War Department is bringing this mission to light and accepting responsibility,” he continued. “Interestingly, why do Americans engage in behaviors that enable drug lord and human trafficker activities? Someone must consume the narcotics and fund the illicit activities for there to be a market.”
The State Department has also classified certain cartels — including the notorious Tren de Aragua prison gang from Venezuela — as foreign terrorist organizations.
In the unclassified communication sent to lawmakers, the War Department designates the cartels involved in drug trafficking as “nonstate armed groups” and “unlawful combatants” conducting “an armed attack against the United States.”
The notice further stated: “Considering the cumulative impact of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and allied foreign nations, the president concluded that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these identified terrorist organizations.”
Congress has not formally declared war on any nation since World War II, yet the US has engaged in numerous other conflicts without legislative endorsement.
Meyer also remarked, “As historically noted since the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution [in 1964], Congress is typically slow to complain and unproductive in action.”
“Apart from invoking the War Powers Act or issuing a Use of Force resolution, Congress has multiple avenues available—particularly regarding funding—to ensure the president adheres to both domestic and international legal responsibilities.”
“Yet Congress is vocal; they talk but take little action. They have become merely nuisances.”
