A Consistent Life Ethic Perspective on Operation Southern Spear

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni

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Starting in early September, the Trump administration started attacking vessels supposedly being used in the illegal narcotics trade, as part of what it calls Operation Southern Spear. Between September 2 and November 19, 22 vessels have been hit in 21 strikes, and 83 people have been killed. 

This is the largest US military operation in or around Latin America for decades, with tens of thousands of troops and substantial air and naval assets having been deployed close to Venezuela. Aircraft have been deployed to Puerto Rico and US long-range bombers have flown within striking distance of Venezuela. A guided missile destroyer and amphibious assault ship have been detected as well.

Many are questioning the ethics of these attacks. Legal experts have pointed out that these attacks target civilians with no due process for those aboard the boats that are being struck. Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, told the BBC he believes the strikes could be considered a crime against humanity. 

Perhaps the most compelling argument against the justification of these attacks comes in a USA Today opinion piece from retired Commander Dave Petri, a former Navy surface warfare officer and communications director for National Security Leaders for America, and retired Rear Admiral William Baumgartner, who served as commander of the 7th (Southeast) Coast Guard District and the service’s judge advocate general and chief counsel. The two naval officers’ writing is useful in analyzing Operation Southern Spear using the Just War Theory. 

The Consistent Life Ethic (CLE) position on war is probably one of the most contested, with some CLE advocates being absolute pacifists and others giving more leeway to select military operations. For the latter group of activists, Just War Theory can be invoked to see if a military operation adheres to at least some minimal ethical standards. 

The Just War Theory has certain requirements for a military action to be considered just. Does Operation Southern Spear meet these requirements?

Petri and Baumgartner point out that Trump’s claims that these strikes will save American lives do not hold up well to the facts: almost 70% of overdose deaths come from fentanyl, which does not come from Venezuela. If the point of these attacks is to save American lives, as the Trump administration claims, these strikes do not hold up to the Just War Theory requirement of having a reasonable chance of success. 

One has to ask the question of whether the strikes also follow the Just War Theory requirement of possessing the right intention. Operation Southern Spear has prompted concerns that the US will attack Venezuela and may try to overthrow the current left-wing socialist government. The Venezuelan military has announced a “massive mobilization” of troops, with 200,000 people being sent across the country. 

Petri and Baumgartner cite Article I of the US Constitution as giving Congress, not the president, the power to declare war and authorize the use of military force. The current military operations therefore clearly contradict the Just War Theory requirement that a war must be declared by the proper authority.  

Most convincingly, Petri and Baumgartner share what has worked for stopping drug trafficking on boats: the US Coast Guard’s HITRON program. In this program, the engines of boats carrying illegal drugs are targeted rather than the people. More than 1,000 boats have been stopped this way with no deliberate loss of life. 

Other than this being the most life-affirming method of stopping drug trafficking, it is more practical from a criminal justice point of view. Under the HITRON program, the suspects are arrested and the evidence is recovered. Operation Southern Spear not only costs lives but destroys any chance of gathering intelligence or evidence. Because another method that does not intentionally kill has been working, Operation Southern Spear fails the Just War Theory requirement of being a last resort. 

In conclusion, from a Just War Theory and a Consistent Life Ethic point of view, Operation Southern Spear cannot be just. These attacks on human life are extremely concerning and must be stopped. May they not escalate into a bigger conflict.