The US Pentagon's inspector general has launched a self-initiated evaluation of whether the US military followed proper targeting procedures when carrying out strikes on dozens of alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin American waters since early September 2025. The review will assess compliance with the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle — a framework covering commander's intent, target development, analysis, decision, execution, and assessment — but will not examine the legality of the strikes. The campaign, which the Trump administration frames as part of a declared war on Latin American drug cartels, has killed at least 193 people in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, with the military providing no public evidence that any of the targeted vessels were actually carrying drugs.