Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a social media post Thursday that he is formally naming the anti-drug mission in the Caribbean “Operation Southern Spear.”

The move emphasizes the growing significance and permanence of the military’s presence in the region, which started over the summer as part of what the Trump administration is calling its war against narcoterrorism .

At least 19 known U.S. strikes on vessels in South American waters have killed 76 people.

The newly named operation will encompass the nearly one dozen U.S. Navy ships as well as around 12,000 sailors and Marines that will be in the area after the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

“This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland fr

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