Deep dive

Are We at War?

The United States has not declared war since 1941. But since January 2025, American forces have bombed at least seven countries, captured a sitting head of state, lost 18 service members in the Iran conflict alone, and deployed troops to American cities. This is the complete record — what happened, what authorized it, and what the law says.

Last verified October 5, 2026. Status: Documented — every claim below links to its source. Where the record is thin or contested, we say so. Browse all sources in the Bibliography.

The bottom line

No war has been declared. Congress has not passed a declaration of war — the last was in 1941 — and it has not passed a new Authorization for Use of Military Force for any of the conflicts below. What the United States is doing instead falls into three legal buckets, and the distinction is the whole point of this page:

• Authorized uses of force: only the Somalia campaign, conducted under the 2001 AUMF (al-Shabaab treated as an al-Qaeda "associated force"). The 2002 Iraq AUMF was repealed by Congress in 2023.
• Presidentially ordered, congressionally unapproved: the Yemen campaign, the June 2025 Iran nuclear strikes, Operation Epic Fury against Iran, the Venezuela raid, and the Caribbean/Pacific boat strikes. The administration claims Article II commander-in-chief authority. Congress has voted three times to rein the Iran war in; the Senate blocked each effort.
• Domestic deployments: National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Memphis, Portland, Chicago, and New Orleans — authorized under a patchwork of presidential memoranda, the D.C. Home Rule Act, and disputed readings of federal law, several now under court challenge.

Casualty and cost figures are the most contested numbers on this page — see each section for sourcing and disputes.

Yemen: Operation Rough Rider (March–May 2025)

On March 15, 2025, the United States launched a large air and naval campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen, codenamed Operation Rough Rider — the first large-scale U.S. military operation in the Middle East of Trump's second term. The strikes targeted radar systems, air defenses, and ballistic and drone launch sites used against Red Sea shipping. (Compiled summary)

• Scale: more than 1,000 airstrikes over roughly seven weeks; estimated cost above $1 billion. (Daily Caller)
• Civilian harm: Airwars documented at least 482 civilians allegedly killed by U.S. strikes in Yemen across the long campaign, nearly half since Rough Rider began — including a strike on a migrant detention center in Saada that killed at least 68 people and a raid on the Ras Isa fuel port that killed at least 80. (Airwars; SOFX)
• End: on May 6, 2025, Trump declared the strikes over "effective immediately" under a ceasefire brokered by Oman. The Houthis said the deal did not cover attacks on Israel. (SOFX)
• Authorization claimed: none cited publicly beyond presidential authority; no War Powers report specific to Yemen was publicized, and no congressional vote authorized it.

Iran I: Operation Midnight Hammer (June 2025)

On June 21–22, 2025, seven B-2 Spirit bombers flew from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and struck three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — with fourteen GBU-57A/B "bunker buster" bombs, the weapon's first operational use, plus Tomahawk missiles from a submarine. The operation, Midnight Hammer, was the only U.S. offensive action in the Twelve-Day War (June 13–24, 2025), which began with Israeli surprise strikes. (Compiled summary)

• Trump claimed the facilities were "completely and totally obliterated." A July 2025 Pentagon assessment found Iran's nuclear program set back roughly two years; a leaked DIA assessment said only months. Final damage assessments were still incomplete as of late 2025. (Compiled summary)
• Authorization claimed: none beyond Article II. No congressional authorization was sought for the strikes.

The Caribbean and Pacific: Operation Southern Spear (September 2025–present)

Beginning September 2, 2025, the U.S. military began destroying small boats in the Caribbean and later the eastern Pacific alleged to be carrying drugs — a campaign called Operation Southern Spear. By October 2026 the AP tally stood at at least 70 strikes and 235+ people killed. (PopSmoke/AP; Reuters, Oct. 5, 2026)

• On October 1, 2025, Trump formally notified Congress that the U.S. was in a "non-international armed conflict" with cartels as "unlawful combatants" — a legal framing under which, as the Miami Herald noted, "a country can lawfully kill enemy fighters even when they pose no threat." (Compiled summary)
• The Washington Post reported that lawmakers and experts called the notification "a dubious legal justification for what have been unlawful military strikes on alleged civilian criminals." Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UN experts have called the strikes unlawful extrajudicial killings; a UN special rapporteur said there are "reasonable grounds to believe" they constitute crimes against humanity. (Reuters)
• The Pentagon has not publicly identified the people killed, specified what drugs vessels carried, or shown evidence narcotics were aboard in most cases. (PopSmoke/AP)
• The SOUTHCOM commander, Admiral Alvin Holsey, announced early retirement in October 2025 amid reported tensions over the campaign's "murky legal authority." (Compiled summary, citing WSJ)

Venezuela: Operation Absolute Resolve (January 3, 2026)

On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces raided Caracas and captured sitting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, flying them to New York to face narcotics and firearms charges. The operation, Absolute Resolve, involved bombing Venezuelan air defenses; approximately 80 people — Venezuelan and Cuban military personnel and civilians — were killed, and seven U.S. soldiers wounded. (Compiled summary; UK House of Commons Library)

• The administration justified it as a law-enforcement action with military support, claiming the president's "inherent constitutional authority." UN officials and international law experts said it violated the UN Charter. (Compiled summary)
• Maduro pleaded not guilty; trial scheduled June 1, 2027. His lawyers argue head-of-state immunity. (Reuters)
• Aftermath: the U.S. recognized Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, restored diplomatic relations in March 2026, and in August 2026 announced a deal giving the U.S. influence over Venezuelan oilfields. (UK House of Commons Library)
• Congressional authorization: none. No AUMF covers the seizure of a foreign head of state.

Iran II: Operation Epic Fury (February 2026–present)

On February 28, 2026, after nuclear negotiations failed, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury — coordinated strikes on IRGC command nodes, air defenses, missile and drone infrastructure, and airfields across Iran. CENTCOM called it "the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation." The opening strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials. (RMC Global; Aerospace Global News)

• U.S. casualties: the Pentagon's casualty database listed 13 dead and 365 wounded as of April 2026; by September 2026, House members cited 18 service members killed. Iran retaliated against U.S. bases across the Gulf. (Military.com; Manchester Ink Link)
• Cost: CBO estimated ~$38 billion through July 2026, with $2–3 billion per month in continued hostilities; the campaign burned through a substantial share of U.S. missile-defense interceptors. (Manchester Ink Link)
• A temporary ceasefire began in April 2026 with intermittent violations; as of October 2026 the conflict continues at lower intensity. (RMC Global)
• Authorization claimed: Article II only. Trump submitted a War Powers notification on March 2, 2026 — 48 hours after strikes began — claiming authority solely as commander-in-chief, invoking neither the 2001 nor 2002 AUMF. (Muslim Network/AA; analysis)

Somalia: the one authorized war (record tempo)

The Somalia campaign is the only current operation with a plausible congressional authorization: the 2001 AUMF, under which successive administrations treat al-Shabaab as an al-Qaeda "associated force." Under Trump the tempo shattered records — 124 AFRICOM strikes in 2025 (previous record: 63, also Trump's, in 2019) and 80+ in 2026, more than double the combined total of the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations' first 20 months. (Inkstick; Defense & Tech)

• The administration loosened strike-approval rules early in 2025, delegating authority to AFRICOM commanders. Trackers note signs not every strike is publicly claimed. (Defense & Tech)
• A CRS report confirms the AUMF interpretation but notes the strikes' sharp increase. (CRS IF10155, July 2026)

Syria and Iraq: Operation Hawkeye Strike and the end of Inherent Resolve

On December 13, 2025, an ISIS-affiliated gunman killed two U.S. National Guard soldiers and an American civilian interpreter near Palmyra, Syria. On December 19, the U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike — airstrikes on 100+ ISIS sites across Syria. (Fox News)

• The U.S. declared the anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq ended, with Hegseth committing to end it by September 30 (2026), transitioning to a bilateral relationship. The ~1,500 troops in Syria withdrew earlier in 2026. (Yahoo/AP)
• Iran-backed militias launched 600+ attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq between February and April 2026, per the Pentagon. (Yahoo/AP)

The war at home: domestic military deployments

Parallel to the foreign campaigns, the administration deployed federal military force inside the United States on a scale with no modern precedent:

• Los Angeles, June 2025: 2,000 federalized California National Guard troops plus 700 U.S. Marines, deployed over the governor's objection during immigration-enforcement protests. (American Progress)
• Washington, D.C., August 11, 2025: Executive Order 14333 declared a "crime emergency"; Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act — for the first time in history — seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department, and deployed 800+ National Guard troops (later 4,000+). The deployment was extended through January 2029. In November 2025 a federal judge ruled the deployment unlawful but stayed the ruling pending appeal. (Compiled summary; Military.com/AP)
• Memphis and Portland, September 2025; Chicago ("Operation Midway Blitz," October 2025); New Orleans (December 2025). Threats extended to Baltimore, New York, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Oakland. (Compiled summary)
• Cost: CBO estimated $18–21 million per month per 1,000 troops; feeding the D.C. deployment alone cost ~$49 million in a year. Projected total through 2026: $1.7 billion. (Washington Examiner; American Progress)
• Trump told military leaders in September 2025 to treat American cities as "training grounds for our military" and described the country as under "invasion," waging "a war from within." (Compiled summary)
• The D.C. Attorney General sued to block the deployment (Sept. 4, 2025); critics cite the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement. (Compiled summary)

The authorization picture

Action	Dates	Authority claimed	Congress
Yemen (Rough Rider)	Mar. 15 – May 6, 2025	Presidential authority (unspecified)	No vote; no authorization
Iran nuclear strikes (Midnight Hammer)	June 21–22, 2025	Article II	No vote; no authorization
Caribbean/Pacific boat strikes (Southern Spear)	Sept. 2025 – present	"Non-international armed conflict" declared Oct. 1, 2025	No vote; legality disputed by experts, HRW, UN
Venezuela (Absolute Resolve)	Jan. 3, 2026	"Inherent constitutional authority" (law-enforcement framing)	No vote; no authorization
Iran war (Epic Fury)	Feb. 28, 2026 – present	Article II; War Powers notice Mar. 2, 2026	60-day WPR deadline (May 1, 2026) passed with no authorization; House passed restraint 3×; Senate blocked each
Somalia airstrikes	Ongoing (record tempo)	2001 AUMF (associated-force theory)	Pre-existing authorization; no new vote
Syria (Hawkeye Strike)	Dec. 19, 2025	2001 AUMF / self-defense	Pre-existing; Inherent Resolve ended Sept. 2026
Domestic Guard deployments	June 2025 – present	Presidential memoranda; D.C. Home Rule Act §740; disputed	No vote; lawsuits pending; one adverse ruling (stayed)

The War Powers clock. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 gives a president 60 days from a formal report to Congress to continue operations without authorization. Trump's March 2, 2026 notice made May 1, 2026 the deadline. It passed with no AUMF, no withdrawal, and no 30-day extension certification — the administration's position is that the operations are lawful under Article II regardless. (analysis)

Congress's three attempts. The House passed war-powers measures to end the Iran hostilities three times — most recently H. Con. Res. 93 on September 15, 2026 (220–204), with seven Republicans joining Democrats. The Senate rejected the latest on September 24, 2026 (50–49), with four Republicans in favor and Sen. Fetterman (D-PA) opposed. Because these were concurrent resolutions, none carried the force of law. (Manchester Ink Link; Reuters via WIXX)

Only 34% of respondents approved of the Iran strikes in a late-September 2026 Reuters/Ipsos poll. (Reuters)

What it means (what the sources support)

• By the constitutional text, Congress declares war; by practice, presidents fight them. The last 80 years of American military history run on this gap. What is new here is the breadth: seven countries bombed in a single year, a head of state seized, and troops deployed to U.S. cities — all without a single congressional authorization vote. (Headline USA)
• The War Powers Resolution has not constrained this presidency. Its 60-day clock expired on the Iran war with no consequence the statute could impose on its own — a pattern scholars have documented across administrations, now tested at unprecedented scale. (analysis, citing Brookings/Lawfare)
• The "Department of War" is not just a name. On September 5, 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the executive branch to call the Department of Defense the "Department of War" (a secondary title; only Congress can formally rename it). The order stated the name "conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve." (CUA Tower; NGAUS)
• Costs are measurable; outcomes are contested. $38 billion through July 2026 for Iran (CBO); $1.7 billion projected for domestic deployments; over $1 billion for seven weeks in Yemen — against a Houthi ceasefire both sides claimed as victory, an Iranian nuclear program set back (not destroyed), and a Venezuela now governed by the same party's vice president under U.S.-backed oil deals. (Manchester Ink Link; UK House of Commons Library)

Timeline

Date	Event
Jan. 20, 2025	Second term begins.
Mar. 15, 2025	Operation Rough Rider begins: U.S. air/naval campaign against Houthis in Yemen.
May 6, 2025	Rough Rider ends under Oman-brokered ceasefire; 1,000+ strikes, ~$1B spent.
June 2025	Los Angeles: 2,000 federalized Guard + 700 Marines deployed over governor's objection.
June 13–24, 2025	Twelve-Day War: Israel strikes Iran; U.S. joins once.
June 21–22, 2025	Operation Midnight Hammer: B-2s strike Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan.
Aug. 11, 2025	Washington, D.C.: EO 14333; Home Rule Act §740 invoked; MPD federalized; Guard deployed.
Sept. 2, 2025	Operation Southern Spear begins: first lethal strike on alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
Sept. 5, 2025	Executive order directs "Department of War" as secondary title for the Pentagon.
Sept.–Dec. 2025	Guard authorizations expand to Memphis, Portland, Chicago (Operation Midway Blitz), New Orleans.
Oct. 1, 2025	Trump notifies Congress of "non-international armed conflict" with cartels.
Nov. 20, 2025	Federal judge rules D.C. Guard deployment unlawful; ruling stayed pending appeal.
Dec. 13, 2025	ISIS-affiliated gunman kills 2 U.S. soldiers + 1 interpreter near Palmyra, Syria.
Dec. 19, 2025	Operation Hawkeye Strike: U.S. strikes 100+ ISIS sites in Syria.
Jan. 3, 2026	Operation Absolute Resolve: U.S. raid captures Nicolás Maduro in Caracas; ~80 killed.
Feb. 28, 2026	Operation Epic Fury begins: U.S.-Israel strikes across Iran; Khamenei killed.
Mar. 2, 2026	Trump submits War Powers notification on Iran (Article II only).
Apr. 2026	Temporary ceasefire in Iran war; intermittent violations continue.
May 1, 2026	War Powers 60-day deadline passes with no authorization, no withdrawal.
Sept. 15, 2026	House passes H. Con. Res. 93 (220–204) to end Iran hostilities — third such vote.
Sept. 24, 2026	Senate rejects the resolution 50–49. War continues.
Sept. 30, 2026	Operation Inherent Resolve (anti-ISIS, Iraq) formally ended.
Oct. 5, 2026	Southern Spear boat strikes continue (Reuters reports latest strike, 4 killed).

Sources for this timeline are linked in the sections above. Casualty figures marked "per" a source reflect that source's count; U.S. government figures and independent trackers differ on several campaigns, as noted.