Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson says operations in the Southern Command region are lawful under U.S. and international law
Kingsley WilsonPentagon press secretary, at a Pentagon press briefing
At a December 2, 2025 Pentagon briefing, Wilson said that "Our operations in the Southcom region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict" and that the actions "have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command".
“Each strike conducted against these designated terror organizations is taken in defense of vital U.S. national interests and to protect the homeland … Our operations in the Southcom region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict. These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command”
Official statement
Original text
Where this statement fits
Was the U.S. military's September 19 Caribbean boat strike justified by evidence of narcotics trafficking?
On September 19, 2026, U.S. Southern Command announced that Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere had struck a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea and killed four people it called "narco-terrorists". The command said "Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking". According to The Associated Press, the military did not provide evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs. On September 20, U.N. Special Rapporteur Ben Saul posted a briefing note concluding that U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats since September 2025 amount to "serial extrajudicial killings" and that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" the 68 attacks he counted through August 2026 "constituted crimes against humanity of murder". White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said on September 22 that the strikes have been "against designated narcoterrorists". The dispute is whether the intelligence Southern Command cites, which it did not release with its announcement, justified the September 19 strike.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Department of War account of Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson's December 2, 2025 briefing on Operation Southern Spear. It gives the department's count of strikes and deaths at that date and her statement on the legality of the operations.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
Department of War transcript of Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson's on-camera briefing. Her opening remarks include an update on operations against alleged narco-terrorists and her statement on legality.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Wilson spoke on December 2, 2025, more than nine months before the September 19 strike. She said that a total of 21 kinetic strikes in Southern Command's area of operations had taken place and had killed 82 people the department called narco-terrorists.
After the quotation
Wilson made the remarks while responding to reporting about a second strike on the first boat targeted in the campaign. She said the decision to strike again was made by Adm. Frank Bradley and that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supported him.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the September 19 strike and the legal basis for such strikes, Wilson says the Southern Command operations comply with U.S. and international law and the law of armed conflict and were reviewed by military and civilian lawyers. That defends the legal premise for the campaign to which the September 19 strike belongs.
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The Dispute Index. "Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson says operations in the Southern Command region are lawful under U.S. and international law". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2746-at-a-december-2-2025-pentagon-briefing-wilson