The order was issued in the context of escalating U.S. policy responses to fentanyl trafficking, with the administration framing the synthetic opioid crisis as both a public health emergency and a national security threat, and seeking to expand the use of military and intelligence tools against drug networks.[3] The administration also cited the lethality of fentanyl and its links to organised criminal networks as justification for applying national security and weapons-related authorities to address the crisis.[4] According to a New York Times article, legal experts questioned aspects of the administration’s broader approach, including claims that drug trafficking constituted an “armed conflict,” noting that the legal standards for such a designation were not met.[5]
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