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Warmonger: Trump’s second term sees highest external attacks by the U.S. in a decade

March 13, 2026 4 min read International Relations GS Paper 2 (International Relations Effect of policies of developed countries on India's interests Important international institutions)
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What Happened

  • Data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and other conflict trackers shows that Trump's second term (since January 20, 2025) has involved the highest number and widest geographic scope of US external military attacks since World War II.
  • In 2025 alone, the US conducted 658 air and drone strikes — more operations than the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations combined in equivalent timeframes, according to some analyses.
  • The Trump administration struck seven countries in the first 12 months of its second term, in addition to targeting drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
  • The 2026 Iran campaign dramatically escalated these numbers: the US-Israel joint Operation Epic Fury, launched February 28, 2026, targeting Iran's military, nuclear, and leadership infrastructure, added a major state-level conflict to the already high operational tempo.
  • Political commentators and international analysts noted the contradiction with Trump's self-described "peace president" narrative, with critics terming the pattern "warmonger" — a label Trump has rejected, arguing these strikes are pre-emptive actions that prevent larger conflicts.

Static Topic Bridges

US Military Hegemony and Global Force Posture

The United States maintains the world's largest and most globally distributed military force. With approximately 750 overseas military bases in 80+ countries, the US sustains a force-projection capability unmatched by any other nation.

  • Annual US defence budget (FY 2025): approximately $886 billion — more than the next 10 countries combined.
  • US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) alone conducts operations in approximately 70-80 countries annually.
  • The US maintains five regional combatant commands: INDOPACOM (Asia-Pacific), CENTCOM (Middle East/Central Asia), EUCOM (Europe), AFRICOM (Africa), SOUTHCOM (Latin America).
  • Iran campaign falls under CENTCOM; the simultaneous operations in Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela, and the Caribbean reflect the global spread of US military activity.
  • The concept of "unipolar moment" (described by Charles Krauthammer post-Cold War) is being tested — US willingness to use force unilaterally at scale challenges the multilateral rules-based order, a recurring UPSC theme.

Connection to this news: The record frequency and geographic scope of US strikes under Trump illustrates how US "hard power" is being deployed — and its implications for international law, global governance, and India's strategic calculations in navigating US relationships.

War Powers, International Law, and Multilateralism

The UN Charter (Article 2(4)) prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, with only two exceptions: UN Security Council authorisation (Chapter VII) and individual or collective self-defence (Article 51).

  • None of the Trump-era operations (Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Venezuela) have been conducted under explicit UN Security Council authorisation.
  • The US invokes Article 51 (self-defence), existing AUMFs (2001, 2002), or executive authority under Article II of the US Constitution for each operation.
  • The UNSC's ability to authorise or condemn US actions is effectively nullified by the US veto power as a P5 member.
  • The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has no compulsory jurisdiction over state use of force unless both parties consent — limiting legal accountability for US military actions.
  • The erosion of the rules-based international order through repeated unilateral use of force has implications for India: India is a strong advocate of multilateralism, UN primacy, and sovereign equality of states (Panchsheel principles), creating tension with its growing security partnership with the US.

Connection to this news: The "highest attacks since WWII" claim is not just a statistic — it represents a structural challenge to the post-1945 multilateral security architecture, a topic UPSC Mains GS2 and essay questions frequently address.

India-US Strategic Partnership and Its Limits

India and the United States have deepened bilateral security ties substantially since 2000: the Foundational Agreements (LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA), iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies), Quad (with Australia, Japan), and IMEC all reflect growing convergence.

  • Foundational agreements: LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement), BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) — enable logistics sharing, encrypted communications, and geospatial data exchange.
  • India joined the Quad (India-US-Australia-Japan security dialogue) and participates in Malabar naval exercises — signalling alignment on maritime security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
  • However, India has consistently maintained "strategic autonomy": it does not automatically endorse US military actions, voted to abstain or oppose resolutions that tacitly approved unilateral US force, and continued Russian energy/defence relationships.
  • The Iran conflict puts India in a particularly difficult position: its longstanding ties with Iran (Chabahar port access, cultural/historical links with Persian civilisation), dependence on Gulf energy, and security partnership with the US all pull in different directions.

Connection to this news: Trump's record military activism is the context within which India must navigate its US partnership — endorsing US security ties while maintaining independent foreign policy positions, a balancing act directly examined in UPSC GS2 questions on India's foreign policy.

Key Facts & Data

  • US air and drone strikes in 2025: 658 (Trump second term, year one)
  • Countries struck in first 12 months of Trump's second term: 7 countries + Caribbean/Pacific maritime operations
  • US annual defence budget (FY 2025): ~$886 billion
  • Countries with US military bases: ~80+; total overseas bases: ~750
  • Key US regional commands: INDOPACOM, CENTCOM, EUCOM, AFRICOM, SOUTHCOM
  • Operation Epic Fury: launched February 28, 2026 (Iran campaign)
  • ACLED: Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (primary data source for conflict tracking)
  • US P5 veto at UNSC: prevents UNSC authorisation/condemnation of US military actions
  • India-US Foundational Agreements: LEMOA (2016), COMCASA (2018), BECA (2020)