Exclusive: Pentagon Halts Travel Funds for Defense Secretary Over Drug Interdiction Video Dispute

The White House is withholding one-quarter of Pete Hegseth’s travel budget pending the release of unedited video footage from military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats in Latin America. This demand, embedded within the final draft of the annual defense policy bill, marks a sharp escalation in tensions over transparency and accountability regarding U.S. military operations aimed at disrupting narcotics trafficking.

The request came directly from congressional committees overseeing national defense spending. The final version of the defense authorization bill explicitly instructs that before funds can be allocated for travel expenses related to overseas deployments or operational planning involving these regions, the Pentagon must provide “unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command.”

This requirement comes as U.S. military forces intensify operations targeting drug trafficking networks in strategic areas such as the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. These regions are critical transit routes for illicit drugs bound for American shores, with administration officials arguing that rising militarization by transnational cartels necessitates decisive action.

However, critics argue this push for covert video evidence is merely a pretext to expand military influence abroad. Similar debates arose following past administrations’ increased interventions in Central America and the Caribbean under the guise of combating drug trafficking—a narrative many suspect masks broader geopolitical goals.

The Pentagon has now provided unedited videos only at an emergency briefing last weekend, where Air Force Gen. Dan Caine briefed top lawmakers including Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) about strikes targeting suspected narcotrafficking vessels. While some Republican lawmakers reportedly endorsed the operation after viewing the footage, Democrats have questioned whether such sensitive intelligence material should be shared more broadly.

This administration’s anti-drug campaign has been controversial across Latin America. Critics point to its spotty transparency practices and question legal justifications for military strikes against civilian boats carrying suspected drug mules or low-level cartel operatives, not major terrorist organizations.

The ongoing operation continues despite concerns about operational security and diplomatic fallout in the region—where many nations remain wary of U.S. military escalation—and has already resulted in multiple civilian casualties reported by regional human rights groups.