"That was Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), last Wednesday, questioning Adm. Kevin E. Lunday during the latter's confirmation hearing to be the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard last Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Lunday answered, "Well, Senator, we're operating out there under our Coast Guard law enforcement authority as a law enforcement agency, a maritime law enforcement agency. And so that's not within our authority as a law enforcement agency during our Coast Guard operations under the Department of Homeland Security's authority.""
"I begin with that exchange because to me, the heart of Lunday's response - "that's not within our authority as a law enforcement agency" - showed a senior military officer respecting the law under which he operates. It also raises directly the question of under what law, or still-secret Justice Department interpretation of the law, is the Trump administration carrying out its destruction of alleged narco-trafficking boats and killing of crews - so far 21 boats and 83 dead crew members?"
"On November 16, with the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, more than 15 percentof all deployed U.S. Navy warships are now positioned in the Caribbean Sea, a force greater than existed during the 1960s Cuban missile crisis. Remember, the earlier buildup included the USS Iwo Jima and its amphibious ready group with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that has more than 2,200 Marines, MV-22 Ospreys, CH-53E helicopters, and landing craft"
Sen. Andy Kim asked whether the Coast Guard has legal authority to destroy a boat or kill its crew without provocation; Adm. Kevin E. Lunday replied that such lethal action is not within Coast Guard law enforcement authority. The Trump administration has reportedly destroyed 21 alleged narco-trafficking boats, resulting in 83 dead crew members, raising questions about a possible still-secret Justice Department legal interpretation. The U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean has surged, including the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and forces such as the USS Iwo Jima and the 22nd MEU with over 2,200 Marines and aircraft. Those operations and Venezuela's reactions create a risk of unintended escalation toward war.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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