Military historian Max Boot lamented Monday that not enough attention is being paid to the dramatic uptick in boat bombings since a top military official was forced out.
And he said the action by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is putting some military veterans in dire risk of court-martial.
In a Washington Post column, Boot noted that U.S. armed forces have carried out 15 strikes on alleged drug smugglers, killing 64 people. The Trump administration has now positioned the USS Gerald Ford near Venezuela to potentially strike land targets, Boot wrote.
"In essence, the president is executing suspected drug smugglers without [the] benefit of trial," Boot noted.
Asked if he would seek congressional authorization for the attacks, Trump replied he would not: “I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country," he said.
Boot pointed out that the number of strikes has doubled since the resignation of Adm. Alvin Holsey, who led U.S. Southern Command for less than a year before stepping down.
The Post previously reported the move “is being read as an expression of unease with the ongoing operations.” Despite White House claims, the Caribbean is not a major corridor for fentanyl or most illicit drugs entering the U.S. Nor is Venezuela a major producer—unlike Colombia, Peru, or Bolivia.
In a report from The Atlantic, Holsey was said to have “raised concerns” about the bombings, resulting in a “tense meeting” with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
But, according to Boot, Hegseth appears to have “found more-compliant officers who will do Trump’s bidding even if, in the process, they risk a future court-martial.”
Trump’s bombings, conducted without congressional authorization, legally cannot continue past Monday, Just Security experts wrote.
Ryan Goodman, co-editor-in-chief at Just Security, wrote on Bluesky, “There’s no way around this.”
Boot concluded by calling on Congress to subpoena ousted officers to testify under oath about their experiences.
“The American people deserve to hear about any concerns they might have,” Boot added, “unless, that is, the Republican majority on Capitol Hill can’t handle the truth about what the Trump administration is doing to the armed forces.”
