A grainy infrared video released by the U.S. military shows a small, fast-moving vessel erupting in a fireball after a precision strike — the latest example of American forces taking decisive action to choke off narco-trafficking routes in international waters. Proud, capable men and women in uniform executed the operation with professional skill, and the images are a reminder that when the nation’s security is threatened, our military does what is necessary to protect American lives.
This campaign did not spring from chaos; it is the result of an administration that finally understands the clear connection between foreign narco-networks and the fentanyl crisis killing Americans at home. Secretary of Defense statements and videos make clear these strikes are being directed to disrupt trafficking lines tied to Maduro-friendly networks and criminal syndicates, and that these operations are happening in known smuggling corridors.
Make no mistake: these are not theater — they are kinetic blows against real enemies who traffic poison toward our children and our neighborhoods. Since this targeted effort began, multiple interdictions have been announced and dozens of suspected traffickers have been neutralized, underscoring the broken-windows approach America needs to restore order and safety.
The predictable chorus of critics — congressional grandstanders and international busybodies — reflexively calls for paperwork and investigations while ignoring the piles of corpses on U.S. streets and the mothers burying kids from overdoses. These naysayers would rather play politics than hold rogue regimes and cartels accountable, and that abdication of responsibility is exactly what emboldens tyrants like Nicolás Maduro.
For too long, weak policies and moral equivalencies allowed Venezuela and its criminal allies to operate with impunity; bold action reverses that permissiveness and signals to our enemies that America will not cede its hemisphere. If confronting narco-terrorists requires showing strength in international waters and using precise military tools to protect American communities, then so be it — leadership is about results, not virtue signals.
Yes, oversight matters and commanders must adhere to the law of armed conflict, but that cannot become an excuse to tie the military’s hands while cartel poison floods our towns. Lawmakers who call for hearings would do well to explain to grieving families why they oppose operations that limit the flow of death into our country, rather than posture for headlines.
Our diplomats and military planners should keep using every lawful tool to pressure Maduro’s regime and its enablers — sanctions, interdictions, and targeted strikes when intelligence supports action. Conservatives believe in a government that protects its citizens first; this administration is finally acting like it, and patriotic Americans should stand with the troops and the commanders who put American lives ahead of internationalist second-guessing.
If we are serious about stopping fentanyl and securing our borders, then we must applaud decisive, competent enforcement overseas and demand that Washington back that enforcement with resources and resolve. Let the critics squawk while the men and women who wear the uniform get the job done — the safety of our communities and the future of our country depend on it.
