(A)Political - November 15th

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D.C. has plenty of action for us to dig into this week. Let’s dive in!

Hegseth unveils action to cripple efforts that relate to the southern border of the U.S. Trump rolls back tariffs in effort to cut food prices. Trump gives federal green light to drill in Alaska wilderness

• ‘Operation Southern Spear’ Unveiled By Secretary of War Hegseth

• Trump Executes Renewed Effort To Cut Grocery Prices

• Trump To Alaska: Drill, Baby, Drill

‘Operation Southern Spear’ Unveiled By Secretary of War Hegseth

_{By: Atlas}

The War Secretary unveiled Operation Southern Spear at a Pentagon briefing, describing it as a multi-agency, time-limited mission focused on disrupting cross-border trafficking networks, unmanned incursions, and maritime smuggling routes linked to the nation’s southern approaches.

According to the announcement, Southern Spear will run under an initial 180-day authorization with options to extend subject to executive approval and congressional notification. The Department of War will serve as lead for defense activities, with integrated roles for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

Officials said the operation’s geographic scope includes air, land, and maritime corridors along the Southwest border and adjacent coastal approaches. The concept of operations emphasizes joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; targeted interdiction; and support to civil authorities under existing law.

Mission objectives and authorities

Briefing materials listed four primary objectives: detect and interdict illicit shipments before they reach U.S. territory; counter cross-border drone and ultralight incursions; enhance maritime domain awareness in Gulf and Eastern Pacific lanes; and provide analytic support to law enforcement cases built on interdictions.

Southern Spear will operate under Title 10 authority for defense forces, with support to civil agencies governed by Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) frameworks. Officials stated that Posse Comitatus restrictions remain in effect; uniformed military will not conduct domestic law enforcement activities such as searches, seizures, or arrests.

The War Secretary said the operation will align with existing joint task forces. Air and maritime components will coordinate airspace deconfliction and asset tasking with civilian authorities. Cyber and financial intelligence cells will coordinate with Treasury and Justice to trace proceeds linked to seizures and refer cases for prosecution.

Forces, capabilities, and basing

The Department outlined a tailored force package rather than a large permanent deployment. Aviation support will include fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms for surveillance and mobility, with additional counter-unmanned aerial systems placed at high-incursion zones. Officials declined to name specific units but described an emphasis on sensors, airborne persistence, and rapid response detachments.

Maritime elements will augment patrol coverage in designated transit lanes, adding intelligence collection and cueing for partner agencies. Littoral surveillance assets will be paired with airborne maritime patrol to identify small craft operating without transponders. Where applicable, defense components will pass contact data to maritime law enforcement for interdiction.

On land, mobile surveillance towers, ground sensors, and rapid-deploy radar will be positioned to close gaps identified in recent assessments. The Department noted that forward operating locations will rely on existing installations and temporary sites. The footprint is designed to surge during high-risk windows and scale down as conditions permit.

Officials said intelligence fusion centers will extend operating hours to provide continuous targeting support. A common operating picture will integrate feeds from defense platforms, civil radars, and partner databases. The Department emphasized chain-of-custody protocols for evidence derived from defense sensors to preserve admissibility in court.

Interagency coordination and oversight

The War Secretary explained that Southern Spear includes a joint coordination board chaired by a senior defense official with deputies from Homeland Security and Justice. The board will set weekly priorities, validate target packages, and adjudicate asset requests. State and Treasury will participate on financial tracing, sanctions referrals, and foreign partner engagement.

To address privacy and civil liberties, the Department said all ISR tasking inside U.S. airspace will follow approved minimization and retention policies. Any incidental collection involving U.S. persons will be handled under existing rules, with minimization and reporting requirements. The Department’s Inspector General and the General Counsel’s office will monitor compliance.

Reporting to Congress will occur in two tracks: a 30-day initial activity report and monthly updates thereafter, including metrics on interdictions supported, air incursions detected and deterred, maritime contacts of interest referred, and training or technology transfers delivered to partner agencies. Classified annexes will be available to relevant committees.

Officials also cited coordination with state and local authorities. National Guard units operating under state status may support civil agencies directly, while Title 10 forces will limit activities to support functions. Information-sharing agreements with fusion centers will be updated to reflect the new tasking cycle and data-handling rules.

Timeline, measures of effect, and next steps

The Department outlined an initial 60-day surge phase, followed by a 120-day sustainment phase subject to adjustment based on results. Early milestones include full operational capability for the joint coordination board within one week; deployment of priority counter-UAS systems to designated sites within two weeks; and expansion of maritime patrol coverage by the end of the first month.

Measures of effect will prioritize disruption rather than volume alone. Officials listed several indicators: interdictions attributable to defense cueing; reduction in low-altitude cross-border incursions along specified corridors; increased seizure-to-prosecution conversion rates; and shortened decision timelines between initial detection and law enforcement action.

The War Secretary said technology insertion is part of the plan. Trials will include expanded use of passive RF detection for small UAS, upgraded electro-optical sensors for night maritime identification, and analytics to correlate trajectories with financial intelligence. Results will be shared with civil partners to inform future acquisitions.

Foreign partner engagement is limited to information exchange and coordinated patrol deconfliction where applicable. Any cross-border operations will remain the responsibility of host-nation authorities. The Department stated that no new overseas basing or foreign troop presence is contemplated under Southern Spear.

Officials concluded by noting that the operation’s scale and duration reflect current threat assessments. Extension beyond the initial authorization would require an updated justification package, including mission outcomes, resource utilization, and an assessment of residual risk if the operation is concluded on schedule.

In summary, Operation Southern Spear, as announced by the War Secretary, is a time-bound, interagency mission focused on surveillance, interdiction support, and information fusion across air, land, and maritime domains along the southern approaches. It relies on existing legal authorities, limits direct law enforcement roles for the military, and sets measurable reporting requirements to Congress. The immediate next steps include achieving full operational coordination, deploying priority capabilities to high-risk corridors, and delivering the first round of performance reporting within 30 days.

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