Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Greg Thompson, now a professor of criminal justice and national security at Cedarville University, recently shared with ChurchLeaders why he believes Christians need to care about the ongoing U.S. operations against Venezuelan drug traffickers.
Thompson served as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) officer specializing in national security law and advised on military strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
During the interview, Thompson offered a detailed perspective on the military operations that spoke to the legal, strategic, and Christian considerations behind these actions. He also stressed the complexity of these operations and the importance of understanding the full context before passing judgment.
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“These are serious threats to our country and they are escalating. So while 10 years ago I might tell you I had a different opinion on this,” said Thompson, “at this point I have interests of the well-being of this area of the world as we all, this is our backyard, and Nicholas Maduro is a dictator. He’s running narco terrorism. He’s got the Iranians in his back pocket.”
“And in the end I just ask, at some point we have a duty to protect our citizens and our national security as a country, and we have a right to do that,” he added. “This is deterrence, and deterrence hopefully ends with Maduro leaving, and he should leave immediately, and that saves lives.”
The retired JAG officer walked listeners through the U.S. government’s legal authority to conduct strikes against drug-running vessels in international waters. He explained that the recent operations have targeted organizations officially designated as foreign terrorist groups under U.S. law and that the strikes are part of a broader effort to protect national security and prevent narcotics from entering the United States.
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“I care as a Christian because I care about the rule of law,” Thompson said. “I’m thankful for the congressional oversight. I’m thankful for people pointing this out because I think this will have some positive effect. There are some huge negative effects that outweigh the positive, and I’ve outlined those.”
“But the positives are, I think, we’ll be more in tune to listening to our JAG or other advisors,” said Thompson. “We give advice: ‘Sir, have you considered this?’ Not that that wasn’t considered, but maybe we’ll have plans now to rescue people if we can, if we’re able.”
