🔗 Share this article American Admiral to Inform Lawmakers as Cross-Party Scrutiny Intensifies Over Vessel Attack A senior US Navy admiral is scheduled to deliver a confidential briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military this week, as investigators probe a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean waters. The incident, which reportedly targeted a boat transporting narcotics, reportedly involved a follow-up strike that killed any survivors. Administration Justifies Strikes as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the second strike was carried out “in self-defence” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to attack the boat. Democratic lawmakers have argued the claims, first reported recently, could constitute a violation of international law, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have initiated investigations into the recent series of US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary authorised the naval commander to conduct these military actions,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the law, directing the operation to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the threat to the United States of America was removed.” In her comments to reporters, Leavitt did not challenge the account that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her explanation came after former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “would not have approved that – not a second strike” when questioned about the incident. Growing Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A thirty days after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been building in the legislature, but particulars of this follow-on strike stunned many lawmakers from both parties and generated serious questions about the legality of the operations and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether the recent news story was true, and some GOP senators were sceptical. Still, they said the reported targeting of survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious concerns and deserved further scrutiny. White House and Military Leaders Reiterate Stance The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend vigorously defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not order the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt said Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some worries about the allegations over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head of the joint chiefs of staff, also spoke over the weekend with the bipartisan leaders leading the Congressional military committees. He restated “his faith in the experienced commanders at every level”, Caine’s office stated in a statement. The statement added that the call centered on “addressing the purpose and lawfulness of operations to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the safety and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Figures React and Pledge Probe The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on the week's start generally defended the missions, repeating the administration position that they were necessary to stem the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the committees in the legislature would look into what occurred. “I don’t think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,” he remarked of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they point.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable service members fighting to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and international law, with all actions in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the best military and civilian lawyers, throughout the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to critics. Schumer called for that Hegseth make public the video of the strike and appear under penalty of perjury about what happened. The GOP lawmaker for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate military panel, vowed that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the facts,” he added, stating that the implications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd strike was one in a series executed by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the deployment of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the biggest US aircraft carrier. Over eighty individuals were fatally wounded in the series of attacks.
A senior US Navy admiral is scheduled to deliver a confidential briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military this week, as investigators probe a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean waters. The incident, which reportedly targeted a boat transporting narcotics, reportedly involved a follow-up strike that killed any survivors. Administration Justifies Strikes as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the second strike was carried out “in self-defence” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to attack the boat. Democratic lawmakers have argued the claims, first reported recently, could constitute a violation of international law, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have initiated investigations into the recent series of US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary authorised the naval commander to conduct these military actions,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the law, directing the operation to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the threat to the United States of America was removed.” In her comments to reporters, Leavitt did not challenge the account that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her explanation came after former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “would not have approved that – not a second strike” when questioned about the incident. Growing Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A thirty days after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been building in the legislature, but particulars of this follow-on strike stunned many lawmakers from both parties and generated serious questions about the legality of the operations and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether the recent news story was true, and some GOP senators were sceptical. Still, they said the reported targeting of survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious concerns and deserved further scrutiny. White House and Military Leaders Reiterate Stance The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend vigorously defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not order the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt said Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some worries about the allegations over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head of the joint chiefs of staff, also spoke over the weekend with the bipartisan leaders leading the Congressional military committees. He restated “his faith in the experienced commanders at every level”, Caine’s office stated in a statement. The statement added that the call centered on “addressing the purpose and lawfulness of operations to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the safety and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Figures React and Pledge Probe The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on the week's start generally defended the missions, repeating the administration position that they were necessary to stem the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the committees in the legislature would look into what occurred. “I don’t think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,” he remarked of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they point.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable service members fighting to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and international law, with all actions in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the best military and civilian lawyers, throughout the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to critics. Schumer called for that Hegseth make public the video of the strike and appear under penalty of perjury about what happened. The GOP lawmaker for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate military panel, vowed that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the facts,” he added, stating that the implications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd strike was one in a series executed by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the deployment of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the biggest US aircraft carrier. Over eighty individuals were fatally wounded in the series of attacks.