More Strikes, Broader Footprint: U.S. Military Activity Expands Under Trump in 2025

written by Gaurav Sharma Fri Jan 02, 11:33 am Source

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Published: Friday, January 2, 2026, 22:03 [IST]

US Prsident Donald Trump’s second term has seen a sharp rise in U.S. military operations abroad during 2025, even as Trump continues to promote a personal brand of “peace through strength.” The White House presents this tempo of strikes as tough deterrence, while critics note the widening list of countries where U.S. forces are active.

At his January inaugural ball, Trump promised that armed force would serve a larger goal rather than endless conflict. Trump told supporters, "We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars we end — and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into." Trump also said his "proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier."

In 2025, during Donald Trump's second term, the U.S. military conducted various operations in multiple countries, including strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on June 22 and air campaigns in Yemen and Somalia; other actions occurred in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Venezuela, and regional seas.

U.S. military operations 2025: Major strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities

The most dramatic action of 2025 came on 22 June, when Operation Midnight Hammer hit Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Seven B-2 bombers flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, carrying 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, and struck the underground complexes at Fordo and Natanz in coordinated night raids.

During the same operation, a U.S. Navy submarine in nearby waters fired more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets around Isfahan. In a primetime address, Trump claimed the mission achieved "total obliteration" of Iran's enrichment capabilities, though Iranian officials rejected that claim. Pentagon assessments say the strikes probably delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by up to two years.

U.S. military operations 2025: Air campaigns in Yemen and Somalia

Months before the Iran raid, the Trump administration had opened a sustained air assault in Yemen, from 15 March to 6 May. Pentagon officials said the targets linked to Iran-backed Houthi forces included command centres, air defence batteries, and facilities used to build and store advanced weapons systems across Houthi-held territory.

The Yemen campaign relied heavily on precision munitions such as JASSM long-range cruise missiles, JSOW glide weapons and additional Tomahawk missiles launched from naval platforms. Costs exceeded $1 billion in the first month alone. The operation ended on 6 May after a ceasefire deal between the Houthis and mediators from Oman brought strikes to a halt.

The first major strike of Trump’s second term, however, had taken place earlier in East Africa. On 1 February, U.S. forces began hitting Islamic State elements in Somalia. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the objective was to weaken ISIS’ capacity to "plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians."

Operations in Somalia have continued beyond the initial wave, signalling an ongoing U.S. military footprint against ISIS-linked cells in the region. The campaign forms part of a broader effort in East Africa to disrupt transnational militant networks that American officials say could threaten U.S. interests and allied governments.

U.S. military operations 2025: Targeted strikes in Iraq and Syria

In Iraq, a coalition strike on 13 March in Anbar Province killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, described as the group’s second-ranking ISIS leader. One additional insurgent died in the attack. Iraq’s prime minister called al-Rifai "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," underlining the symbolic importance of the operation.

Later in the year, Trump ordered a broad assault in Syria after U.S. personnel were killed there. On 19 December, Operation Hawkeye Strike hit more than 70 suspected ISIS sites across central Syria, according to U.S. Central Command. American fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery units joined the coordinated strikes on militant positions.

The Syria mission aimed to respond to a deadly attack that had killed two U.S. soldiers, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, along with a U.S. civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat. The Pentagon said the operation’s name honoured the two soldiers from Iowa, widely known as the "Hawkeye State."

U.S. military operations 2025: Actions in Nigeria, Venezuela and regional seas

On 25 December, Trump announced strikes on ISIS in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Trump said the decision was tied to concerns for Christian communities, claiming they were being "mass slaughtered" by "radical Islamists." Trump said timing also mattered, stating in an interview, "They were going to do it earlier. And I said, 'nope, let's give a Christmas present.'"

The Nigeria operation featured more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a U.S. Navy vessel in the Gulf of Guinea. American officials said Nigerian forces were involved in coordinating the strikes. Washington framed the mission as direct support to Abuja against Islamic State-linked militants active in parts of the country.

In Venezuela, a different type of covert action emerged in December and is still ongoing. According to CNN, the C.I.A. carried out a drone strike on a coastal facility, the first known U.S. attack inside the country since Trump escalated pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro. Officials said the dock was used by the Tren De Aragua gang to store narcotics and stage shipments.

Alongside that, U.S. forces also intensified efforts at sea. From 2 September, the military began a lethal maritime campaign in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The stated aim was to hit drug-trafficking vessels linked to Venezuelan cartels and restrict the flow of narcotics towards the United States.

Trump described the naval presence as the "largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America," and promised the deployment would "only get bigger." U.S. authorities say at least 106 people have died in strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats since the operation started, though independent casualty verification has been limited.

Country / Region	Date / Period	Main Target
Somalia	From 1 February	ISIS militants
Iraq (Anbar)	13 March	Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai
Yemen	15 March–6 May	Houthi command and weapons sites
Iran	22 June	Nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, Isfahan
Caribbean / Eastern Pacific	From 2 September	Drug-trafficking vessels
Syria	19 December	More than 70 ISIS targets
Nigeria	25 December	ISIS positions
Venezuela	December and ongoing	Tren De Aragua narcotics dock

Together, these actions show how Trump’s second term foreign policy leans heavily on targeted force while Trump continues to describe himself as a "peace president." The range of locations, from East Africa to Latin America, highlights how U.S. strategy in 2025 remained global in scope, with operations often justified as counterterrorism or counternarcotics missions.

The article’s information is based on reporting by Tanya Noury for Military Times and Defense News, focusing on the White House and the Pentagon. Noury tracks how each mission fits within the administration’s broader claims about strength, deterrence and Trump’s promised legacy as both a dealmaker and a leader who ends wars.