Stateless Means Targetable: Maritime Law 101 for Facebook Admirals
Sorry to burst the bubble of the newly-minted maritime commandos popping up in ludicrous FB comments – but Narco-terrorists and “narco boats” are just shorthand – and nothing any moron, who’s now an expert on Drug Boat Interdiction changes this.
And all these so called war experts jumping around claiming war crimes are either dumb or stupid – or both
… circling mainstream media like retired commanders who desperately want one more deployment — and with the same overeager energy Senator Mark Kelly brings when he sprints toward a microphone, eager to explain maritime law he clearly didn’t teach.
The actual charges and authorities sit squarely within maritime and military law.
The actual charges and authorities sit squarely within maritime and military law.
A vessel becomes stateless the moment it has no flag, no registry, no AIS, no radar, no identifying markers of any kind — and at that point it loses every protection afforded to lawful navigation.
Once that craft is armed, refuses lawful orders, evades interception, or fires first, the legal landscape doesn’t shift — it snaps into place.
The overriding obligation becomes the protection of US personnel and other mariners, and that includes deadly force when required.
A hostile, stateless vessel carrying tonnes of narcotics — treated as lethal contraband under US law — is a direct threat to human life and to international shipping lanes.
At that point, sinking the vessel isn’t excessive; it is the legally mandated mitigation to prevent casualties and to stop a floating weapons shipment from ever reaching US shores.
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