Sep 2025 – The Trump administration launches Operation Southern Spear, a kinetic campaign targeting suspected narcotics‑trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific, framing the effort as an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and linking it to broader pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro [6].

Sep 2, 2025 – Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley briefs House and Senate leaders on a strike that kills crew members of a suspected drug boat, presenting video footage that sparks bipartisan scrutiny and prompts Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer to call for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s resignation [6].

Dec 4, 2025 – Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducts a kinetic strike on a suspected drug boat, killing four male crew members identified as narco‑terrorists; a 21‑second video is posted on X, and President Trump signals that the campaign will soon expand to “land targets inside Venezuela” [6].

Dec 15, 2025 – U.S. forces strike three alleged drug‑trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific, killing eight people and accelerating the weekly death toll in the Southern Spear campaign [5].

Dec 17, 2025 – A Southern Spear strike on another suspected vessel kills four crew members, raising the cumulative fatalities to 99; Congress pushes for unedited strike footage, and the Defense Policy bill threatens to withhold a quarter of Secretary Hegseth’s travel budget until it is released [5].

Dec 18, 2025 – Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducts lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels, killing five; the week’s total reaches at least 104 deaths, and the administration moves “thousands of troops and a carrier strike group into the Caribbean” while President Trump orders a “total and complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers,” prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to denounce the move as warmongering [4].

Dec 22, 2025 – U.S. forces strike a low‑profile vessel in international waters, part of a rapid escalation that sees multiple boats engaged within weeks [3].

Dec 29, 2025 – A Southern Spear kinetic strike kills two occupants of a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, bringing the campaign’s death toll to at least 107; earlier that month, a CIA drone strike hits a port facility in Venezuela, marking the first known U.S. attack inside the country [3].

Dec 30, 2025 – A U.S. strike on a suspected drug boat results in occupants abandoning the vessel, with no immediate casualties reported [2].

Dec 31, 2025 – A Southern Spear strike on a separate vessel kills five people, further increasing the cumulative fatality count for the operation [2].

Jan 2, 2026 – The U.S. Coast Guard suspends its search for survivors of the Dec 30 incident, citing lack of actionable leads, as reported in a congressional briefing [2].

Jan 23, 2026 – Joint Task Force Southern Spear carries out a kinetic strike that kills two occupants of a suspected drug‑trafficking boat and leaves one survivor; the Coast Guard is tasked with a rescue mission, and the strike is confirmed to have been directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth via an X post, raising the campaign’s death toll to at least 117 [2].

Feb 5, 2026 – Under newly appointed SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel linked to Designated Terrorist Organizations kills two people, marking the second documented boat attack of 2026 and bringing total Southern Spear fatalities to at least 119; the administration tells Congress the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, legal experts question the lawfulness of the strikes, and families file a lawsuit over an October 2025 boat strike alleging extrajudicial killing [1].

Feb 2026 (future) – The lawsuit filed by relatives of two men killed in the October 2025 strike seeks damages and a court ruling on the extrajudicial nature of the operation, potentially shaping future oversight of Southern Spear engagements [1].