Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times,

Three U.S. warships have been sent to Haiti as part of Operation Southern Spear, a military operation in the Caribbean to counter narcotics trafficking.

“At the direction of the Secretary of War [Pete Hegseth], the ships USS Stockdale, USCGC Stone, and USCGC Diligence have arrived in the Bay of Port-au-Prince as part of Operation Southern Spear,” the U.S. Embassy in Haiti posted on X on Feb. 3.

The embassy said the presence of the warships reflects the United States’ “unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability, and brighter future.”

The USS Stockdale is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer based in San Diego, while USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence are Coast Guard cutters based in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Pensacola, Florida, respectively.

“The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard reaffirm their partnership and support to ensure a safer and more prosperous Haiti,” the U.S. Embassy posted on X.

Operation Southern Spear is targeting narco-trafficking and has led to strikes on several drug smuggling boats since September 2025. On Jan. 3, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured and indicted on drug trafficking and other charges.

Another boat strike was carried out on Jan. 23, at an undisclosed location, according to U.S. Southern Command.

Haiti has been mired in political and economic turmoil since July 2021, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his home in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, by a group of mercenaries, most of whom were Colombian nationals.

Gangs have proliferated and begun to dominate large parts of Haiti, and in May 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated two of the largest gangs, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, as foreign terrorist organizations.

In November 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump published a new National Security Strategy, which calls for expanded naval and Coast Guard operations and aggressive targeting of drug cartels.

“We want to ensure that the Western Hemisphere remains reasonably stable and well-governed enough to prevent and discourage mass migration to the United States,” the strategy document states. “We want a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations.”

Haiti has not had elections since 2016. A nine-member Transitional Presidential Council was appointed in April 2024, but has been marked by allegations of corruption and a declining security situation in Haiti.

On Jan. 23, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who was appointed by the Transitional Presidential Council, spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the call “reaffirmed U.S. support for Haiti’s stability and security.”

“The current violence caused by gangs can only be stopped with consistent, strong leadership, with the full support of the Haitian people,” the State Department said. Rubio said the Transitional Presidential Council ”must be dissolved by February 7 without corrupt actors seeking to interfere in Haiti’s path to elected governance for their own gains.”

Last month the State Department took steps to revoke the visas of two unidentified members of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential ‍Council (TPC) and their immediate families because of their alleged involvement in gangs.

“These actions are being taken due to the TPC members’ involvement in the operation of gangs and other criminal organizations in Haiti, including through interference with the Government of Haiti’s efforts to counter gangs designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) by the United States,” the State Department said in a Jan. 25 statement.

In September 2025 the United Nations Security Council authorized the conversion of a Multinational Security Support mission—which had been deployed in Haiti in June 2024—into a 5,500-strong Gang Suppression Force.

China, Russia, and Pakistan abstained in the vote.

In December 2025, the United States and Canada said 18 entities had offered personnel, resources, and technical support for the Gang Suppression Force.

“We were looking for 5,500 forces,” Rubio said on Dec. 19, 2025. “We already have pledges of up to 7,500 forces from a variety of countries. We’ve seen donors step up to fund that effort.”