🔗 Share this article US Navy Commander to Update Congress as Cross-Party Examination Grows Over Boat Strike A high-ranking US Navy officer is set to deliver a classified briefing to congressional members monitoring the armed forces this week, as they examine a US strike on a boat in the Caribbean waters. The incident, which reportedly struck a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a second engagement that eliminated any survivors. Administration Justifies Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the second strike was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with laws pertaining to military engagement. Bipartisan examination has increased over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in last month to strike the boat. Democratic lawmakers have argued the allegations, first reported last week, could amount to a war crime, and Republicans have also expressed their concerns about the legality of the strike on September 2nd. The House and Senate armed services committees have opened investigations into the recent US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these kinetic strikes,” stated Leavitt. “Adm Bradley acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the threat to the United States was removed.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial attack. Her explanation came after ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “would not have approved that – not a second strike” when asked about the incident. Mounting Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month following the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of JSOC to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been growing in Congress, but particulars of this follow-on strike stunned many lawmakers from both parties and sparked stark questions about the legality of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers indicated they did not know whether last week’s report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Still, they stated the alleged targeting of individuals of an initial rocket attack posed serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. Administration and Military Leaders Reiterate Stance The administration weighed in after the president on the weekend strongly defended Hegseth. “Pete said he did not command the death of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have voiced some worries about the allegations over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, also spoke over the weekend period with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers heading the Senate and House military committees. He reiterated “his trust and confidence in the seasoned officers at every level”, Caine’s office stated in a statement. The release added that the call centered on “addressing the intent and lawfulness of operations to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and stability of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders Respond and Promise Probe The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune stated the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to make any judgments or inferences until you have all the facts,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they point.” Following the report, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is producing more false, provocative, and disparaging reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the nation”. “Our current operations in the region are lawful under both US and global statutes, with every step in compliance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, throughout the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate military panel, vowed that his committee's inquiry would be “conducted thoroughly and by the book”. “We’ll find out the facts,” he added, stating that the implications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The September 2nd engagement was part of a sequence carried out by the US military in the Caribbean and Pacific as Trump has ordered the deployment of a naval group of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the largest US carrier. Over 80 people were killed in the strikes.
A high-ranking US Navy officer is set to deliver a classified briefing to congressional members monitoring the armed forces this week, as they examine a US strike on a boat in the Caribbean waters. The incident, which reportedly struck a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a second engagement that eliminated any survivors. Administration Justifies Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the second strike was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with laws pertaining to military engagement. Bipartisan examination has increased over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in last month to strike the boat. Democratic lawmakers have argued the allegations, first reported last week, could amount to a war crime, and Republicans have also expressed their concerns about the legality of the strike on September 2nd. The House and Senate armed services committees have opened investigations into the recent US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these kinetic strikes,” stated Leavitt. “Adm Bradley acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the threat to the United States was removed.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial attack. Her explanation came after ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “would not have approved that – not a second strike” when asked about the incident. Mounting Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month following the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of JSOC to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been growing in Congress, but particulars of this follow-on strike stunned many lawmakers from both parties and sparked stark questions about the legality of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers indicated they did not know whether last week’s report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Still, they stated the alleged targeting of individuals of an initial rocket attack posed serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. Administration and Military Leaders Reiterate Stance The administration weighed in after the president on the weekend strongly defended Hegseth. “Pete said he did not command the death of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have voiced some worries about the allegations over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, also spoke over the weekend period with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers heading the Senate and House military committees. He reiterated “his trust and confidence in the seasoned officers at every level”, Caine’s office stated in a statement. The release added that the call centered on “addressing the intent and lawfulness of operations to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and stability of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders Respond and Promise Probe The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune stated the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to make any judgments or inferences until you have all the facts,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they point.” Following the report, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is producing more false, provocative, and disparaging reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the nation”. “Our current operations in the region are lawful under both US and global statutes, with every step in compliance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, throughout the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate military panel, vowed that his committee's inquiry would be “conducted thoroughly and by the book”. “We’ll find out the facts,” he added, stating that the implications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The September 2nd engagement was part of a sequence carried out by the US military in the Caribbean and Pacific as Trump has ordered the deployment of a naval group of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the largest US carrier. Over 80 people were killed in the strikes.