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Federal Judge Orders Release of Secret Pentagon Memo on Anti-Drug Boat Strikes
By Drooid · · How we work
Federal Judge Orders Release of Secret Pentagon Memo
A Manhattan federal judge issued a 66-page opinion rejecting the Justice Department’s arguments for keeping a classified memo secret. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer ordered the department to provide the memo within two weeks for confidential review. The decision does not guarantee public disclosure, but it represents a modest victory for the legal groups that sued under the Freedom of Information Act.
Legal Context and Prior Litigation
The lawsuit challenges the administration’s legal reasoning for a Pentagon policy that permits the use of missiles against small vessels suspected of drug smuggling. The Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling. The case follows earlier efforts by law-specialists to obtain the memo, arguing that the policy may conflict with statutes governing the use of lethal force.
Scope of the Anti-Drug Boat Strike Campaign
Since September 2025, the operation has carried out 70 documented strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in more than 230 deaths. The campaign has been largely eclipsed by other foreign-policy actions, notably the administration’s war in Iran.
Administration’s Legal Justification
The Trump administration maintains that firing missiles at suspected drug-smuggling boats can be lawful. It bases this claim on President Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States is in a formal, armed conflict with a secret list of drug cartels, a status the administration says does not require congressional authorization.
Expert Criticism of the Policy
A broad coalition of legal scholars and specialists in the laws of lethal force have described the killings as murders, arguing that the military is prohibited from deliberately targeting civilians and civilian objects. Critics have specifically accused President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of issuing illegal orders to conduct the strikes.