U.S. Military Strikes Intensify Under Trump Administration

By Tristan Gaudiaut – Statista

As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to voice his frustration over not receiving a Nobel Peace Prize and assembles a self-described “Board of Peace (which he has suggested could replace the United Nations), his administration’s military record tells quite a different story. In just the first year of his second term, the U.S. conducted 573 air and drone strikes abroad – more than the 494 carried out during Joe Biden’s entire four-year presidency, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) cited by . The strikes, concentrated primarily in Yemen but also spanning at least six other countries, mark a significant escalation in military activity abroad.

Under Trump, U.S. forces have targeted Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Iranian nuclear sites, alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, as well as different armed groups in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Venezuela. Although the vast majority of strikes focused on Yemen, resulting in over 500 reported deaths in only a year, the rapid pace and geographic spread of these military actions have drawn criticism from analysts. They warn, among other things, that the administration’s approach openly challenges the notion of international rules constraining military power.