Joint Task Force Southern Spear
agency
Joint Task Force Southern Spear is a U.S. military counternarcotics task force operating in the eastern Pacific Ocean under U.S. Southern Command. It conducts maritime interdiction operations targeting drug trafficking vessels, primarily those associated with Colombian and other Latin American cartels. Beginning in late 2025, the task force carried out dozens of lethal strikes against suspected trafficking vessels, killing scores of people and prompting legal challenges over the use of military force.
Entries involving this actor (13)
JTF Southern Spear killed two aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 60th strike, ~196 campaign deaths
On May 27, 2026, U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean it described as operated by a designated terrorist organization, killing two men. It was the 60th strike of Operation Southern Spear and the second in two days, following a May 26 strike that killed one. The Pentagon offered no evidence the vessel carried drugs, and Congress has not authorized hostilities against Latin American drug-trafficking organizations.
JTF Southern Spear killed three aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 53rd strike, ~181 campaign deaths
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Southern Spear, at the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel it said was operated by "Designated Terrorist Organizations" transiting a known narco-trafficking route in the Caribbean Sea, killing three men. The strike — the fifth in eight days and the campaign's roughly 53rd — brought Operation Southern Spear's announced death toll to at least 181 people since September 2025. As with prior strikes, the government released video but no evidence the vessel carried drugs and did not identify those killed, who received no interdiction or judicial process.
JTF Southern Spear killed five across two suspected narcotics vessels in eastern Pacific; 48th-49th strikes, ~168 campaign deaths
On Saturday, April 11, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out two lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels it described as drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five men and leaving one survivor of the first strike. SOUTHCOM said it notified the U.S. Coast Guard to launch a search-and-rescue effort for the survivor. The same-day double strike — reported as the campaign's 48th and 49th — brought Operation Southern Spear's cumulative reported death toll to at least 168, and as in prior strikes the military provided no evidence that the vessels were carrying drugs.
JTF Southern Spear killed six aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 45th strike, ~157 campaign deaths
On Sunday, March 8, 2026, U.S. Southern Command announced a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean it described as "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," killing six men. SOUTHCOM said the strike was ordered by its commander, Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, and carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear against a boat allegedly transiting known narco-trafficking routes. It was the campaign's 45th announced strike, bringing Operation Southern Spear's reported cumulative death toll to roughly 156-157 people, and as in every prior strike the Pentagon provided no public evidence the vessel carried narcotics and did not identify those killed.
JTF Southern Spear killed three aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 44th strike, ~151 campaign deaths
On Feb. 23, 2026, U.S. Southern Command announced that Joint Task Force Southern Spear, at the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the Caribbean it alleged was operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and transiting known narco-trafficking routes, killing three men. As in prior strikes in the Operation Southern Spear campaign, the Pentagon presented no public evidence the vessel carried narcotics, did not identify those killed, and afforded no opportunity for interdiction, arrest, or judicial process. It was the last announced strike before a late-February pause; SOUTHCOM's next disclosed strike came on March 8, 2026.
JTF Southern Spear killed three aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 43rd strike, ~148 campaign deaths
On Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, U.S. Southern Command announced a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean it described as "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," killing three men. SOUTHCOM said the strike was carried out at the direction of its commander, Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, by Joint Task Force Southern Spear against a boat allegedly transiting known narco-trafficking routes. Independent trackers count it as the campaign's 43rd announced strike; as in every prior strike, the Pentagon provided no public evidence the vessel carried narcotics, made no attempt to interdict or arrest, and did not identify those killed.
JTF Southern Spear killed eleven across three suspected narcotics vessels in Pacific and Caribbean; 40th-42nd strikes, ~145 campaign deaths
Late on Feb. 16, 2026, at the direction of U.S. Southern Command commander Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out three near-simultaneous "lethal kinetic strikes" on three vessels SOUTHCOM alleged were trafficking drugs along known routes, killing eleven men — four on each of two boats in the eastern Pacific and three on a third in the Caribbean. SOUTHCOM presented no evidence and made no attempt at interdiction, arrest, or judicial process, and no U.S. forces were harmed. It was the deadliest single day in the Operation Southern Spear boat-strike campaign to that point.
JTF Southern Spear killed three aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 39th strike, ~134 campaign deaths
On Feb. 13, 2026, at the direction of U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that SOUTHCOM alleged — without presenting evidence and without interdiction, arrest, or judicial process — was operated by a designated terrorist organization. Three men were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed. The strike is part of the open-ended Operation Southern Spear campaign of lethal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.
JTF Southern Spear killed two aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 38th strike, ~131 campaign deaths
On Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, U.S. Southern Command announced a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean it described as "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" and transiting known narco-trafficking routes, killing two of the three people aboard. SOUTHCOM said the strike was carried out at the direction of its commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, and that it notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search-and-rescue for the lone survivor. As in every prior strike in the campaign, the Pentagon presented no public evidence the vessel carried narcotics, made no attempt to interdict or arrest, and did not identify those killed.
JTF Southern Spear killed two aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 37th strike, ~129 campaign deaths
On Feb. 5, 2026, at the direction of U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean that SOUTHCOM alleged — without presenting evidence and without interdiction, arrest, or judicial process — was operated by a designated terrorist organization. Two people were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed. The strike is part of the open-ended Operation Southern Spear campaign of lethal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.
JTF Southern Spear killed 2 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 36th strike, ~117 campaign deaths
On January 23, 2026, Joint Task Force Southern Spear, operating at the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people and leaving one survivor. The strike was characterized by SOUTHCOM as targeting "Designated Terrorist Organizations" engaged in narco-trafficking, yet no public evidence was provided identifying the victims or their alleged activities. This was the 36th strike in the Southern Spear campaign since September 2025, resuming after a three-week gap following the January 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
JTF Southern Spear killed 4 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 20th strike, ~79 campaign deaths
On November 10, 2025, U.S. forces conducted the 20th strike of what would become Operation Southern Spear, killing four people with "no survivors" in the Caribbean Sea. Three days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally named and announced the campaign, citing this strike as the milestone. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed 79 people killed across 20 strikes; no evidence of drug trafficking was publicly disclosed and Congress had not authorized the operation.
JTF Southern Spear killed 6 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in eastern Pacific; 19th strike, ~73 campaign deaths
U.S. forces struck two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean on November 9, 2025, killing six people — three aboard each vessel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the strikes the following day, claiming the boats were associated with narcotics smuggling but providing no evidence. The operation was the 19th strike in the Southern Spear campaign, bringing reported total deaths to approximately 73.