WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal government may have been shuttered for 43 days, but the Department of War never paused — conducting kinetic strikes against narco-terrorist vessels, expanding alliances in Asia, and pushing a carrier strike group into Southcom waters while service members continued receiving uninterrupted pay.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said the administration ensured troops were compensated throughout the shutdown, underscoring President Donald J. Trump’s directive to shield military families from financial fallout.
“President Trump kept his promise to take care of the troops,” Wilson said in the War Department’s Weekly Sitrep video. “Our department ensured our brave warfighters received a paycheck.”
U.S. Escalates Maritime Operations Against Cartel Networks
In the U.S. Southern Command region, the Pentagon said forces intensified pressure on narcotics traffickers. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group redeployed from Europe into Southcom waters to support ongoing maritime interdiction operations.
Wilson said the department carried out multiple strikes on smuggling vessels over the past two months. On Nov. 9, two “lethal kinetic strikes” targeted ships linked to designated terrorist organizations.
“These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in a social media post. “Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.”
Hegseth Builds Strategic Partnerships in Indo-Pacific
During the shutdown, Hegseth traveled across the Indo-Pacific to meet with defense leaders in several countries. At the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Malaysia, he held bilateral meetings with defense ministers from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Australia.
He also signed a 10-year defense framework with India — a deal he said will deepen coordination, information sharing, and defense technology cooperation.
“Our defense ties have never been stronger,” Hegseth said.
NATO Reassures U.S. of Renewed Commitment
Later in October, Hegseth joined NATO defense ministers in Brussels, including a meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte. He praised recent increases in member defense commitments.
“If there’s anything we’ve learned under President Trump, it’s the active application of peace through strength,” Hegseth said, adding that durable peace “comes from strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect.”
Navy and Marine Corps Celebrate 250 Years
Despite the shutdown, the Pentagon marked major milestones. The Navy and Marine Corps both celebrated their 250th anniversaries, including a ceremony aboard the USS George Washington with President Trump.
Wilson said the moment celebrated “two and a half centuries of strength, tenacity and unwavering courage by the greatest fighting force in the world.”
“Our military is the first in war, the first in peace and the first in spirit and the first in freedom,” she said.
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