Global intervention surges as Trump administration intensifies overseas combat operations

The bloody start to 2026, marked by a US-led invasion of Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, follows a year of significantly intensified American military interventions throughout 2025.

According to an article in Defense News, President Donald Trump has overseen a rapid escalation of US military activities abroad since returning to the Oval Office. During the first year of his second term, Trump authorized a series of high-stakes operations ranging from unprecedented bunker-buster strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities to an expansive counter-narcotics campaign off the coast of Venezuela.

While Trump frequently describes himself as a “peace president,” he characterizes this expansion of force as a cornerstone of his “peace through strength” strategy. During his inauguration ball in January, he stated: “We will measure our success not just by the wars we win, but by the wars we end and, perhaps most importantly, by the wars we never enter.” He further claimed that his “proudest legacy would be as a peacemaker and a unifier.”

However, since assuming office on January 20, 2025, Trump has authorized at least 626 airstrikes, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project and shared with Military Times. By comparison, his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, conducted a total of 555 strikes over the course of his entire four-year term.

According to the data, the following countries have been the primary targets of the Trump administration’s military posture:

Somalia – February 1 and ongoing

The first major engagement of the second Trump administration targeted ISIS in Somalia. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated the strikes were designed to degrade the group’s ability to “plan and execute terrorist attacks threatening US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.” These operations remain ongoing, representing a sustained US military presence against ISIS-linked groups in East Africa.

Iraq – March 13

A US-led coalition strike in Iraq’s Anbar province resulted in the death of Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, the second-highest-ranking leader of ISIS, along with another militant. The Iraqi Prime Minister described al-Rifai as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”

Yemen – March 15 – May 6

In mid-March, the Trump administration launched an air campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen. According to the Pentagon, the strikes targeted command and control centers, air defense systems, and facilities used for the production and storage of advanced weaponry. Utilizing JASSM long-range cruise missiles, JSOWs, and Tomahawk missiles, the operation cost more than $1 billion in its first month alone. The campaign concluded on May 6 following a ceasefire agreement mediated by Oman.

Iran – June 22

Under Operation Midnight Hammer, seven B-2 stealth bombers were deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to strike Iranian nuclear facilities buried deep underground. The bombers dropped 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordo and Natanz, while a US Navy submarine in the region launched over a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles toward Isfahan. In a prime-time address, Trump declared that the mission had “completely destroyed” Iran’s enrichment capacity, though Tehran disputed this claim. The Pentagon estimates the strikes will delay Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years.

Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean – September 2 and ongoing

Since September, the US military has been conducting maritime strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The Trump administration asserts these operations are aimed at dismantling powerful drug cartels and halting the flow of narcotics from Venezuela to the US. Trump boasted that this operation involved the “largest navy in the history of South America” and promised it would “only get larger.” At least 106 people have been killed in strikes against vessels allegedly transporting drugs.

Syria – December 19

Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched by Trump in retaliation for the deaths of two US soldiers, Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, as well as Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a civilian US interpreter, who were killed in an earlier attack in Syria. According to CENTCOM, American fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery units struck more than 70 ISIS targets in central Syria.

Nigeria – December 25

On Christmas Day, Trump announced that the US had conducted airstrikes against ISIS in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. The President stated he took action to protect Christians who he claimed were facing “mass slaughter” by “radical Islamists,” noting that the timing was chosen for its symbolic significance. “They were going to do it earlier,” Trump said in an interview. “I said, ‘no, let’s give them a Christmas gift.'” The operation was carried out with more than a dozen Tomahawk missiles launched from a naval vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, in coordination with the Nigerian military.

Venezuela – December and ongoing

Last week, reports emerged of a CIA drone strike on a facility in Venezuela, marking the first known US strike in the country since the Trump administration intensified its pressure campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro. According to CNN, the strike targeted a pier on the Venezuelan coast that officials claimed was used by the Tren de Aragua gang to store and prepare drugs for shipment. On January 3, the US military launched strikes across multiple locations in Venezuela, conducting an operation that resulted in the capture and extraction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.