The US Department of War has conducted 66 maritime strikes since September, resulting in the deaths of 221 people. Despite this, the effectiveness of these strikes remains unclear, with the Department of War refusing to release internal metrics citing security reasons.

Operation Southern Spear

Operation Southern Spear, the campaign behind the maritime strikes, has been allocated at least $820.9 million through June 30. However, outside estimates suggest the operation may be costing up to $31 million per day, plus $2.8 million in unbudgeted expenses.

Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon comptroller, estimates the operation’s total cost to be around $3 billion. The operation’s goal is to disrupt the supply chain of drug cartels, with a focus on cocaine trafficking.

Effectiveness and Criticism

The effectiveness of the maritime strikes has been questioned, with some experts arguing that the strikes are only one part of a larger effort to combat drug trafficking. Andrés Martínez-Fernández, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, notes that the strikes have been effective in shutting down a key Caribbean smuggling corridor, but that traffickers have adapted by shifting to land routes and other methods.

The US Government Accountability Office has also raised concerns about the lack of measurable outcomes for the Department of War’s counternarcotics activities, making it unclear how the effectiveness of these efforts can be determined.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.