Trump Orders Some Military Reservists to Active Duty to Battle Drug Cartels

President Donald Trump speaks at the press briefing room flanked by Attorney General William Barr (3rd L), Defense Secretary Mark Esper (3rd R), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (2nd R), National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien (2nd L) and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday (R) April 1, 2020, in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on April 30 authorized the Pentagon to call select U.S. armed forces reservists to active duty as part of a counternarcotics operation announced early this month.

In an executive order, the president ordered Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to call up to 200 personnel from the reserve at a time to serve as part of the military’s enhanced operation against drug cartels in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.