Josh Rushing exposes US military executions of sailors
- A new documentary reveals US forces carried out over 60 maritime strikes killing at least 220 people.
- Military aircraft executed shipwrecked survivors and delayed rescue missions to let boat passengers drown.
- DOJ memos show military strikes do not require proof of drugs on board targeted vessels.
The video clips looked like video games: grainy infrared footage of small boats exploding in the Caribbean.
Behind those promotional uploads lies a systematic campaign of extrajudicial killings conducted by the U.S. military. On September 9, 2026, Breaking Points highlighted findings from journalist Josh Rushing's documentary Killing at Sea, which details over 60 strikes across Caribbean and Pacific waters. The program, known as Operation Southern Sphere, has killed at least 220 people under the official rationale of counter-fentanyl warfare.
The operations routinely breach international law by targeting non-combatants and shipwrecked survivors. In one documented attack, an aircraft bombed a small vessel and returned 45 minutes later to kill two survivors clinging to floating wreckage. In other instances, military commanders deliberately delayed Coast Guard rescue flights, leaving eight survivors floating in open Pacific waters for 45 hours until they drowned.
Despite administrative framing around drug interdiction, fentanyl overwhelmingly enters the country through land ports rather than maritime routes. Classified Justice Department memos recently reviewed by Senators Tim Kaine and Rand Paul reveal that the government does not require proof of illicit drugs on board before ordering lethal strikes.
The operational strategy targets low-level crew members while high-level drug kingpins escape accountability.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted in federal court for trafficking 400 tons of cocaine, received a full presidential pardon. Meanwhile, the impoverished fishermen targeted by Operation Southern Sphere are executed without trial, notice to their families, or recovery of their bodies.
On Breaking Points, co-host Ryan Grim noted how mainstream political discourse routinely ignores these operations. While public attention fixates on cultural debates, high-stakes military campaigns operate with almost no congressional oversight or institutional pushback.
The strikes continue at sea, removing disposable crews while core drug trafficking networks remain entirely intact.