The Pentagon is drafting operational plans for lethal strikes against Mexican drug cartels after President Donald Trump directed the military to eliminate the organizations’ capacity to threaten the United States, according to defense officials and internal planning documents. A top-secret planning order issued in late spring assigns U.S. Northern Command to assemble “target packages” for possible air and special-operations attacks on cartel sites, with options expected by mid-September. The effort, discussed at a July meeting in Colorado Springs led by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Colby Jenkins, focuses on the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels and could be carried out unilaterally, without Mexico’s approval. NORTHCOM Commander Gen. Gregory Guillot has told Congress that expanded intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets are already being deployed and that closer cooperation with Mexican forces is under discussion. In a statement responding to inquiries, the Pentagon said it “will undoubtedly play an important role toward meeting the President’s objective to eliminate the ability of these cartels to threaten U.S. territory,” effectively confirming the preparations. If executed, the campaign would mark the first time U.S. forces conduct overt strikes inside Mexico since the 19th century, raising questions about sovereignty and regional stability. Military planners are weighing the political sensitivities alongside an urgency to curb fentanyl trafficking, which has killed more than 225,000 Americans over the past three years.