The President's Daily Brief – Afternoon Bulletin

Episode: PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 16th, 2025
Host: Mike Baker (Former CIA Operations Officer)
Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The President's Daily Brief Afternoon Bulletin, hosted by Mike Baker, dives into two major national security stories:

• A recent covert U.S. commando raid on a Chinese cargo ship carrying dual-use materials to Iran, suspected to be for missile and drone programs.
• Ongoing U.S. military strikes against narco-terror boats in the Eastern Pacific, reflecting an escalation in America's maritime campaign against drug cartels.

Baker provides context for both operations, explores their geopolitical and legal implications, and offers listeners insights into the broader U.S. strategy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Commando Raid on Chinese Ship Bound for Iran

[00:16 – 07:13]

• The Operation
  • U.S. special operations forces boarded a commercial cargo ship in the Indian Ocean, several hundred miles off Sri Lanka.
  • The mission was carried out quietly, without public announcement or media coverage.
  • The boarding team seized cargo but let the ship continue its journey.
• Nature of Cargo
  • The seized shipment consisted of "dual-use components"—items usable for civilian or military purposes (e.g., microelectronics, sensors, precision parts).
  • U.S. intelligence had tracked the ship from a Chinese port to Iran, suspecting Iranian intermediaries aimed to use the goods in weapons development.
  • “...chips and sensors and parts that have perfectly plausible civilian uses and that that makes them much harder to stop through traditional embargoes.”
    — Mike Baker [04:11]
• Strategic Background
  • Following the Iran-Israel war earlier in 2025, Iran has tried “around the clock” to replenish its depleted missile and drone stockpiles.
  • U.S. efforts have focused on halting flows of critical materials into Iran, particularly those that could revive its weapons capabilities.
• Significance
  • The operation marks an escalation—a move from sanctions and embargoes to direct military interdiction of commercial shipping.
  • Analogous efforts to stop shipments to Russia during the Ukraine war did not previously involve direct military action.
  • “This was a stealth mission…kind of how clandestine or covert operations are supposed to be done.”
    — Mike Baker [03:27]
• Political Sensitivities
  • All parties (U.S., China, Iran) had motives to keep the mission under wraps:
    • China doesn't want ties to Iran's weapons program publicized amid Middle East diplomatic moves.
    • The White House wants to avoid spiking tensions in U.S.-China economic talks.
    • Iran does not want its urgent scramble for missile parts widely known.
  • The Pentagon and Indo-Pacific Command “offered no public details.”

2. U.S. Naval Strikes on Narco Boats: Ongoing Campaign

[07:43 – 14:41]

• Recent Action
  • The U.S. military carried out three strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific, killing eight “narco terrorists.”
  • The action is part of a larger campaign, now over two dozen missions since September, targeting “designated terrorist organizations.”
• Operational Details
  • Video released by the Pentagon shows boats speeding through smuggling corridors before destruction.
  • No independent evidence was provided directly linking the boats to drug trafficking, as with earlier operations.
  • “Those corridors long used to move drugs to American shores… have become legitimate military targets under Trump’s expanded approach.”
    — Mike Baker [09:45]
• Escalation and Legal Debate
  • The Trump administration has significantly ramped up maritime operations, with President Trump himself calling the campaign an “armed conflict with drug cartels.”
  • White House rationale: lethal force is vital against cartels trafficking fentanyl and other deadly substances into the U.S.
  • Trump signed an executive order designating fentanyl and its precursors as “weapons of mass destruction.”
  • Ongoing congressional debates involve the legality and constitutionality of the campaign, especially after a controversial “double tap” strike in September that killed survivors of an earlier attack.
  • “Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with the designated terrorist organization.”
    — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on X [13:12]
• Impact and Future Direction
  • Strikes to date: at least 95 alleged traffickers killed across 25 missions.
  • The U.S. military presence in the region is at its largest in decades.
  • Rumblings from the White House suggest that expanded operations—including possible land missions—could follow.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clandestine Operations:
  “This was a stealth mission conducted off the radar. There was no dramatic video of operators fast roping onto the deck of the ship. And no press conferences, no victory laps. Kind of how clandestine or covert operations are supposed to be done.”
  — Mike Baker [03:27]

• On Dual-Use Goods:
  “We're talking about chips and sensors and parts that have perfectly plausible civilian uses and that that makes them much harder to stop through traditional embargoes.”
  — Mike Baker [04:11]

• On Escalation Against Narco Traffic:
  “Those corridors long used to move drugs to American shores that the White House argues have become legitimate military targets under Trump's expanded approach against cartels.”
  — Mike Baker [09:45]

• Official Rationale for Boat Strikes:
  “The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco boats and kill the narco terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with the designated terrorist organization.”
  — Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War (quoted by Mike Baker) [13:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:16] – Introduction and Today’s Spotlight
• [01:09 – 06:04] – Details of U.S. commando mission against Iranian-bound, China-origin ship
• [03:27] – On the nature and secrecy of the operation
• [04:11] – Challenges of dual-use items and sanctions enforcement
• [07:43] – Start of Narco-Terror Campaign update
• [09:45] – U.S. justification for military targeting of drug corridors
• [12:10] – Trump's escalation and executive order on fentanyl as a WMD
• [13:12] – Hegseth's declaration of mission intent and rationale

Episode Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, Baker’s delivery is brisk, analytical, and laced with the understated confidence of a former intelligence professional. He offers contextual commentary, avoids melodrama, and keeps a tight focus on hard intelligence and policy implications.

Summary Takeaways

• The U.S. is escalating in both covert and overt military actions to cut off illicit flows—whether missile components to Iran or drugs to U.S. shores.
• Both operations reflect shifts toward more direct action where traditional tools (sanctions, diplomacy) struggle to be effective.
• Political, legal, and diplomatic sensitivities surround both arenas, especially as the lines blur between law enforcement and warfare in U.S. policy.

For further feedback or questions, Baker invites listeners to reach out, maintaining an informed, pragmatic ethos throughout the episode.