On Tuesday, the U.S. military conducted a strike on a vessel believed to be involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in one death and two survivors. The incident was documented by U.S. Southern Command, which shared video footage of the boat igniting in flames. This strike is part of a larger campaign initiated by the Trump administration targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea. Since early September, these operations have reportedly resulted in at least 194 deaths, raising concerns due to the lack of evidence confirming that the targeted vessels were transporting drugs. The Pentagon watchdog has announced an evaluation of the military's adherence to established targeting protocols, known as the Joint Targeting Cycle, although it will not assess the legality of the strikes. This review comes amid scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers and military legal experts. The Trump administration defends these actions as necessary in the ongoing war against drug cartels, which they argue are responsible for the ongoing drug overdose crisis in the United States.