The Bulwark Podcast Mark Hertling: Performative and Deadly
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Sep 4, 2025 Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe, offers sharp insights into recent military actions, notably critiquing a recent U.S. strike as more performative than practical in combating drug trafficking. He argues for strengthening local law enforcement over military solutions. Hertling also discusses the turmoil in military leadership, the struggle of Russian forces in Ukraine, and the implications of political loyalty on military integrity, emphasizing the need for diverse opinions in strategic decision-making.
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Strike Looked Performative And Problematic
- The Venezuelan speedboat strike looked like overkill and possibly extrajudicial rather than a legally justified counternarcotics operation.
- Mark Hertling argues the strike appears performative and raises serious legal and operational questions.
Transport Strikes Are Low-Impact
- The boat likely targeted a transport node, the least effective place to cripple cartel operations.
- Hitting production or delivery points would be strategically more effective than striking small transfer vessels.
Cigarette Boats Aren't Main Cocaine Route
- Cigarette boats usually carry people more often than tons of drugs and are inefficient for major cocaine shipments to the U.S.
- Hertling notes most U.S.-bound cocaine flows from Colombia, not Venezuela, undermining claims the strike targeted U.S.-bound shipments.