On November 9, 2025, the United States struck two boats in the Pacific Ocean suspected of carrying narcotics, killing six people. This latest strike is part of an ongoing campaign beginning in September of 2025, and recent reporting has found that even “junior officers have been looking for legal assurances” before initiating airstrikes such as the one on Nov. 9. Relating to the Trump administration’s claim that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug trafficking groups, Professor Geoffrey Corn, a member of CERL’s Advisory Council, is quoted by the New York Times saying, “This is not stretching the envelope… This is shredding it. This is tearing it apart.”  

Geoffrey S. Corn is the George R. Killam, Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law. A retired U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer, he served as the Army’s senior law of war advisor. He is also a member of the CERL Advisory Council. Read his bio here.    

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.