WASHINGTON, D.C. —  In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King asked top Department of Defense (DoD) officials about efforts the Department is taking, and resources it is using, to curb the influx of illegal drugs that are killing 300 Americans a day. In a conversation with General Laura Richardson, Commander of the United States Southern Command, Senator King questioned why DoD officials have not prioritized Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) resources to prevent more illegal drug shipments from entering the country.

Senator King began the questioning by sharing latest overdose statistics, and asking why the 110,000 American drug deaths last year has not been treated with appropriate urgency.

“General Richardson, we're under attack. 110,000 people died last year of overdoses. That's 300 a day. Twelve people have died in America since we've been sitting here in the last hour. And yet your ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) capability to at least assist in detecting and helping us to interdict this dread, attack is on an unfunded priorities list. Why isn't it in the base budget? This seems to be one of the most serious and intensely important responsibilities that you will have in order to help us to deal with this scourge. Why is it unfunded priority and not base budget?” the Senator asked.

The General replied, “Senator, I don't think any commander will say they have enough ISR. And so, certainly as we look across…”

“But 2% of the ISR that's dealing with this brutal attack that's killing our citizens just doesn't seem to me to pass the straight face test,” Senator King interjected.

“And I could do more with a little bit more.  And our partner nations with the capabilities in building their maritime domain awareness and being able to share air tracks and things like that, all of us working together, we have very willing partners,” the General concluded.

Senator King then pressed the General on why only 10% of all known drug shipments are intercepted and how the Department is using existing funds to combat the “attack.”

“We've established that you don't have enough ISR. The ISR that you have, previous testimony by your predecessors has been ‘we don't have the resources to interdict, but something like 25% of the drug shipments we know about’ is that still true?” Senator King asked.

Gen. Richardson replied, “So I have the detection and monitoring mission for the Department of Defense through [Joint Interagency Task Force South].”

Sen. King interjected, “But when you detect and notify…”

“We pass that right over to law enforcement or partner nations to do the interdiction. And what percentage is interdicted, as far as you know? We believe that we are getting after about 10% of what we know is the known flow of narcotics flow,” General Richardson said.

Senator King asked, “We're only getting 10% of what we know?”

“Correct, Senator,” General Richardson replied.

Sen. King concluded, “That's appalling, and I realize it's not your responsibility, but it's a collective responsibility that we're just simply not meeting in this country. To have, number one, inadequate ISR on this problem and number two, to not make effective use of the ISR we do have.”

Senator King has made combating the opioid crisis one of his highest priorities in Washington. In the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, King secured significant investments to improve drug shipment interdiction, an area where he has long called for more resources. In the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, he secured new federal investments in our nation’s response to the ongoing opioid and substance use disorder (SUD) epidemic. He also secured nearly $1 million for SUD treatment for Maine through the American Rescue Plan.

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