In his first year back in office, Donald Trump has nearly matched the number of US airstrikes conducted during Joe Biden’s entire presidency, according to data from NGO Acled.
Since his inauguration on 20 January 2025, Trump has overseen 672 air and drone strikes. Significant military action against Venezuelan air defences occurred during the capture of Nicolas Maduro on 3 January. Biden’s administration recorded 694 strikes during its four-year term from 2021 to 2025.
Trump has also exceeded his predecessor in unilateral strikes, carrying out 587 without coalition involvement, compared to Biden’s 494.
Acled compiles strike data and casualty numbers from a range of vetted sources, including local partners, media, and institutions.
Approximately 70% of strikes over the past year targeted Yemen, primarily aimed at Houthi rebels. Some 20% focused on Islamist groups in Somalia.
Additional strikes have been conducted in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September.
These operations have resulted in over 1,000 deaths, including civilian casualties, according to Acled.
Clionadh Raleigh, Acled’s director general, stated that the increased use of force "explicitly challenges the idea that power should be constrained by shared international rules."
She added that Trump’s governance approach, described as being bound only by his "personal morals," reflects a shift away from international law, institutions, and alliances.
The US President was also expecting to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, but lost out to the Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado, who he now refuses to endorse as the new leader of the country after Maduro's capture by the US.
