United States Defense and Military Forces

• Trump’s Threat of Military Action Is a Major Challenge to Maduro. Here’s What to Know. - The president has warned that the United States could soon expand its attacks from boats near the coast to targets inside Venezuela, but he has also spoken by phone to its leader.
• Hegseth Says He Did Not See Survivors of Boat Strike Clinging to Wreckage - The defense secretary supported the admiral he said called for the second strike on Sept. 2 against a boat the administration says was smuggling drugs.
• Hegseth Ordered Lethal Boat Strike but Not the Killing of Survivors, Officials Say - Amid talk of war crimes, the details and precise sequence of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean are facing intensifying scrutiny.
• America’s Backyard Isn’t as Quiet as It Looks - Latin Americans have proved surprisingly acquiescent to U.S. aggression — but that won’t last forever.
• Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime - Top Republicans have joined Democrats in demanding answers about the escalating military campaign the Trump administration says is aimed at targeting drug traffickers.
• Targeting Venezuela and Pardoning Honduran Ex-President, Trump Contradicts Himself - President Trump’s statements on social media less than 24 hours apart showed the dissonance in his campaign against drug trafficking.