🔗 Share this article US Navy Commander to Brief Lawmakers as Cross-Party Scrutiny Grows Over Maritime Engagement A senior American naval admiral is set to provide a confidential briefing to lawmakers monitoring the military this week, as investigators probe a American strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which allegedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a follow-up strike that killed any remaining individuals. Administration Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the follow-on engagement was conducted “as a defensive action” and in accordance with regulations governing armed conflict. Cross-party examination has increased over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in September to strike the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and GOP members have also expressed their concerns about the lawfulness of the strike on 2 September. The House and Senate armed services committees have initiated investigations into the recent US armed engagements on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these military actions,” said Leavitt. “Adm Bradley acted well within his authority and the legal framework, overseeing the operation to guarantee the boat was destroyed and the danger to the United States was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were individuals who survived after the first strike. Her explanation came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when questioned about the event. Mounting Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Monday evening, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true 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 following the strike, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected drug-smuggling boats has been growing in Congress, but details of this subsequent attack shocked many lawmakers from across the aisle and generated stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether last week’s report was accurate, and some Republicans were doubtful. Still, they said the alleged attacking of survivors of an initial rocket attack posed serious concerns and merited additional investigation. Administration and Military Officials Affirm Stance The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend strongly supported Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had conversed with members of Congress who may have voiced some concerns about the reports over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head 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 trust and confidence in the experienced officers at every level”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The statement further noted that the conversation focused on “discussing the intent and lawfulness of operations to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and security of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Leaders React and Pledge Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on the week's start generally defended the missions, echoing the White House line that they were essential 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 conclusions or deductions until you have complete information,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” After the report, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors working to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the Caribbean are legal under both American and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the rules of war – and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth wrote. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what transpired. The Republican senator for the state of Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate military panel, pledged that his panel’s inquiry would be “conducted thoroughly and by the book”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he added, noting that the ramifications of the report were “grave accusations”. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence executed by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has directed the buildup of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.
A senior American naval admiral is set to provide a confidential briefing to lawmakers monitoring the military this week, as investigators probe a American strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which allegedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a follow-up strike that killed any remaining individuals. Administration Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the follow-on engagement was conducted “as a defensive action” and in accordance with regulations governing armed conflict. Cross-party examination has increased over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in September to strike the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and GOP members have also expressed their concerns about the lawfulness of the strike on 2 September. The House and Senate armed services committees have initiated investigations into the recent US armed engagements on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these military actions,” said Leavitt. “Adm Bradley acted well within his authority and the legal framework, overseeing the operation to guarantee the boat was destroyed and the danger to the United States was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were individuals who survived after the first strike. Her explanation came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when questioned about the event. Mounting Legislative Unease and Administration Backing Monday evening, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true 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 following the strike, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected drug-smuggling boats has been growing in Congress, but details of this subsequent attack shocked many lawmakers from across the aisle and generated stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether last week’s report was accurate, and some Republicans were doubtful. Still, they said the alleged attacking of survivors of an initial rocket attack posed serious concerns and merited additional investigation. Administration and Military Officials Affirm Stance The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend strongly supported Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had conversed with members of Congress who may have voiced some concerns about the reports over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head 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 trust and confidence in the experienced officers at every level”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The statement further noted that the conversation focused on “discussing the intent and lawfulness of operations to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and security of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Leaders React and Pledge Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on the week's start generally defended the missions, echoing the White House line that they were essential 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 conclusions or deductions until you have complete information,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” After the report, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors working to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the Caribbean are legal under both American and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the rules of war – and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth wrote. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what transpired. The Republican senator for the state of Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate military panel, pledged that his panel’s inquiry would be “conducted thoroughly and by the book”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he added, noting that the ramifications of the report were “grave accusations”. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence executed by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has directed the buildup of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.