A senior US Navy admiral is scheduled to provide a confidential briefing to congressional members monitoring the armed forces this week, as investigators probe a American attack on a vessel in the Caribbean waters. The incident, which allegedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, reportedly involved a follow-up strike that eliminated any remaining individuals.
The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out “in self-defence” and in compliance with regulations pertaining to military engagement. Cross-party scrutiny has mounted over a account that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order in September to attack the vessel.
Democrats have argued the allegations, first reported last week, could constitute a war crime, and Republicans have also voiced their concerns about the legality of the attack on September 2nd. The House and Senate military oversight panels have opened inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and eastern Pacific Ocean.
“Secretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” said Leavitt. “Adm Bradley acted well within his mandate and the law, overseeing the operation to ensure the boat was neutralized and the threat to the United States of America was removed.”
In her comments to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the account that there were individuals who survived after the first strike. Her justification came after ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when asked about the incident.
Monday evening, Hegseth posted: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an national hero, a true 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 thirty days following the engagement, Bradley was elevated from commander of Joint Special Operations Command to chief of USSOCOM.
Concern over the administration’s armed actions against suspected drug-smuggling vessels has been growing in the legislature, but particulars of this subsequent attack stunned many lawmakers from both parties and sparked stark questions about the legality of the operations and the overall strategy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
The lawmakers said they did not have confirmation whether last week’s news story was accurate, and some GOP senators were sceptical. Still, they said the reported targeting of individuals of an first rocket attack presented serious concerns and deserved additional investigation.
The administration weighed in after the commander-in-chief on the weekend vigorously supported Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the killing of those two men,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.”
Leavitt said Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have voiced some worries about the reports over the weekend.
General Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, also communicated over the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers leading the Senate and House military committees. He restated “his faith in the experienced officers at every level”, Caine’s spokesperson stated in a statement.
The statement further noted that the call centered on “addressing the purpose and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the western hemisphere”.
The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on the week's start generally defended the operations, repeating the White House line that they were essential to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the US.
Thune stated the committees in the legislature would investigate what happened. “I don’t think you want to make any conclusions or deductions until you have complete information,” he remarked of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.”
Following the report, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is delivering more false, provocative, and derogatory reporting to undermine our remarkable warriors working to defend the nation”.
“Our ongoing missions in the Caribbean are legal under both US and international law, with every step in compliance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the best legal advisors, throughout the military hierarchy,” Hegseth wrote.
The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his reaction to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the footage of the attack and appear under penalty of perjury about what happened.
The GOP lawmaker for the state of Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate military panel, vowed that his panel’s investigation would be “conducted thoroughly and by the book”.
“We’ll find out the facts,” he said, noting that the implications of the allegation were “grave accusations”.
The September 2nd engagement was part of a sequence carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the deployment of a naval group of warships near the Venezuelan coast, including the biggest US aircraft carrier. Over 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.
