Trump Administration Expands Military Operations in Latin America, Unveils “Operation Total Extermination”
As the Trump administration continues military actions in Iran, a top Pentagon official revealed an expansion of U.S. Military involvement in the Western Hemisphere, unveiling an effort dubbed “Operation Total Extermination.” Attacks on Latin American drug cartels are “just the beginning,” according to Joseph Humire, the acting assistant secretary of war for homeland defense and Americas security affairs, who spoke to members of the House Armed Services Committee last week.
Expanding Military Presence and Operations
Humire indicated that further strikes in Latin America are anticipated. These comments followed President Donald Trump’s suggestion of potential American annexation of Cuba, stating, “I do believe I’ll be the honor of — having the honor of taking Cuba,” and adding, “Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.”
The Department of War supports “bilateral kinetic actions against cartel targets along the Colombia-Ecuador border,” specifically strikes on unnamed “Designated Terrorist Organizations” initiated on March 3, as announced by Humire. This joint effort, “Operation Total Extermination,” marks the beginning of a military offensive by Ecuador against transnational criminal organizations with U.S. Support.
Collateral Damage and Cross-Border Impact
The U.S.-Ecuadorian campaign has already extended into Colombia, with a farm reportedly bombed or impacted by “ricochet effect” on March 3, leaving an unexploded 500-pound bomb in the Colombian border region. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense confirmed the bomb landed in Colombia, as reported by U.S. Southern Command.
Increased Lethal Force and “Southern Spear” Expansion
Humire described the attacks as “joint land strikes,” emphasizing that the U.S. Is providing Ecuador with “capabilities that they otherwise would not have.” The U.S. Has since conducted at least one additional strike with Ecuador. Pete Hegseth, referring to himself as “War Secretary,” announced a new strike on X (formerly Twitter) on March 6, stating, “Yes — as @POTUS has said — we are bombing Narco Terrorists on land as well.” A war powers report followed on March 6, notifying Congress of “military action taken…against the facilities of narco-terrorists affiliated with a designated terrorist organization.”
These attacks in Ecuador are an extension of Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. Military’s campaign of strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Since September 2025, the U.S. Has conducted 46 such attacks, destroying 48 vessels and reportedly killing almost 160 civilians. A recent strike on March 19 in the Pacific resulted in two additional deaths and one survivor. The Trump administration maintains its victims are members of at least 24 cartels and criminal gangs, but refuses to publicly name them.
Legal and Constitutional Concerns
“Rushing to war on one man’s whims is the exact opposite of what the Constitution demands,” stated Rebecca Ingber, a former State Department lawyer and current law professor at Cardozo Law School. “These rules exist for a reason.”
Broader Counter-Cartel Strategy and Regional Implications
Gen. Francis Donovan, the SOUTHCOM commander, acknowledged that “boat strikes are not the answer,” but hinted at a larger campaign, describing a “counter-cartel campaign process that puts total systemic friction across this network.” He believes the boat strikes are “just one slight part of that.”
Humire could not provide a specific number of land strikes being conducted across nearly 20 Latin American and Caribbean nations. Though, when asked if the War Department would “be moving to a lot more terrestrial strikes,” he replied affirmatively.
The U.S.-Ecuadorian campaign is intended to “set the pace for regional, deterrence-focused operations against cartel infrastructure throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.” Humire defined “deterrence” as a signaling effect intended to raise risks for narco-terrorists.
Regime Change Efforts and Geopolitical Maneuvering
In January, the U.S. Reportedly attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro, now ruling through a puppet regime. Federal prosecutors have reportedly drafted a criminal indictment against Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Trump has likewise discussed the possibility of making Venezuela the 51st U.S. State.
The Trump administration is also pursuing a regime-change operation in Cuba, seeking to oust President Miguel Díaz-Canel as a prerequisite for negotiations. U.S. Officials reportedly favor Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro. Díaz-Canel referenced U.S. Plans to “seize the country” and vowed “impregnable resistance.”
Trump imposed an oil blockade on Cuba in January, contributing to a humanitarian crisis and causing the island’s electrical grid to collapse multiple times. U.N. Human rights experts have condemned the blockade as a violation of international law.
The “Monroe Doctrine” and U.S. Assertiveness
These actions are part of what Trump and others have termed the “Donroe Doctrine,” a reinterpretation of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine as a justification for U.S. Intervention in the Western Hemisphere.
Increased U.S. Presence and Coordination
The U.S. Has established a “permanent FBI presence in Ecuador,” alongside agents from the DEA and Department of Homeland Security. Prior to the attacks on the Ecuador-Colombia border, Gen. Donovan visited Quito to meet with Ecuadorian officials.
The U.S. May also employ tactics such as seeking indictments against leaders of sovereign nations, as potentially seen with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, to exert leverage or create a pretext for further military action.