Should We Have Vaporized That So-Called Fishing Boat?

I had no idea there were so many military experts in the world today. A look into the art of deterrence and the psychology of potentially being blown into fish food.

Once upon a time, Steve Bannon had me on War Room, and for the first time, had me discuss something other than election integrity. We went back and forth for multiple segments over the war in Ukraine. I hadn’t discussed military conflict outside of a casual setting for over 9 years at that point, dating back to my time in service as an Army intelligence officer. I felt unsure of myself given the rust I had accumulated but got rave reviews and a lot of comments like, “I’d never seen that side of you before.”

Be advised, that side of me is going to present itself here now that I’ve had a few days to digest what I can about the U.S. Navy’s strike on a fishing boat of Venezuelan gang members carrying narcotics that was blown into a million pieces earlier this week. Before digging in, I understand people are skeptical of nearly all beating war drums, and now that Nicolas Maduro is being blamed for having a direct hand in the shipment of narcotics to America, citizens are fearful Americans could be shoehorned into another prolonged conflict in a rugged nation that can’t be easily tamed. Those are legitimate concerns and what I consider wise, given that war is the result of diplomatic breakdown and, ideally, the fulfillment of a just cause in which no other pathway to peace exists.

Polymarket takes on a lot of opinions from forecasters (including mine last fall before the election), and they are hosting tons of markets about possible military action or regime change in Venezuela. Personally, I believe there is a much higher chance for Maduro to be ousted in 2025 than the current 16% odds, especially now that most of the world called him out on his Chicago-style election rigging. President Trump’s words describing the Tren de Aragua gang, which is also well known to the citizens of Aurora, Colorado, leave nothing to the imagination:

TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.

That’s enough for setting the stage. You should know where I stand on prolonged or unjustified conflict, so I’m hoping there are no boots on the ground in Venezuela, for containment efforts to succeed as an extension of our immigration and border enforcement, and for the people of Venezuela to get rid of their own dictator. After all, we can’t get rid of every scumbag across the world, nor should we be expected to. The balance of this treatise gives you the tactical explanation for why the 11 gangbangers and their flimsy vessel absolutely, no-doubt, 100% should have been vaporized exactly like it was on Tuesday.

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Is it that Big of a Deal?

This, in my opinion, isn’t like the failed “war on drugs” from the 1980s. We have cold, hard data to back it up. For 2023, the CDC suggests at least 105,007 deaths occurred due to drug overdoses, and much of the cartel-sponsored drug trade makes its way through the Caribbean in the form of fentanyl, cocaine, and synthetic opioids. I am not of the belief that no market for drugs will exist, but it shouldn’t be easy to supply and it sure as hell shouldn’t come with the threat posed by Tren de Aragua or any of the Mexican cartels, which have all been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump 47 administration.

To the people who have lost loved ones to these substances, it is a tremendously huge deal. Additionally, the homeless problems urbanites constantly complain about are exacerbated by this illicit trade. Still, what I’m saying here doesn’t necessarily answer the initial question posed. Should we be vaporizing fishing vessels with supposedly defenseless non-combatants when we could be sending rafts out to interdict them and extract intelligence?

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Vastness of the Seas