🔗 Share this article American Admiral to Inform Lawmakers as Cross-Party Scrutiny Intensifies Over Maritime Engagement A senior US Navy officer is set to deliver a confidential update to lawmakers monitoring the armed forces this week, as they examine a US attack on a vessel in the Caribbean waters. This event, which allegedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, reportedly included a second strike that killed any survivors. White House Justifies Strikes as Self-Defense The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out “as a defensive action” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to attack the boat. Democrats have argued the claims, initially disclosed last week, could constitute a violation of international law, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on September 2nd. The House and Senate armed services committees have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to ensure the vessel was neutralized and the danger to the United States of America was removed.” In her remarks to reporters, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were individuals who survived after the first attack. Her justification came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Legislative Concern and Administration Support Late on Monday, Hegseth posted: “The Admiral is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I support him and the battlefield judgments he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from commander of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been building in the legislature, but details of this follow-on strike stunned many legislators from across the aisle and generated serious inquiries about the legality of the attacks and the overall strategy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members said they did not have confirmation whether the recent report was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Still, they said the reported attacking of individuals of an first rocket attack presented serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. Administration and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The administration commented after the commander-in-chief on the weekend strongly defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He added, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have voiced some concerns about the allegations 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 Congressional armed services committees. He restated “his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every level”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The release further noted that the call focused on “discussing the intent and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illegal smuggling rings which endanger the safety and stability of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Figures React and Pledge Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the White House line that they were necessary to stop the influx of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune said the committees in Congress would look into what occurred. “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 “fake news is delivering more false, provocative, and disparaging reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the nation”. “Our ongoing missions in the Caribbean are legal under both US and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and approved by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “disgrace” over his reaction to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what happened. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the facts,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd strike was part of a sequence executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the buildup of a fleet of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the largest US carrier. Over eighty individuals were killed in the strikes.
A senior US Navy officer is set to deliver a confidential update to lawmakers monitoring the armed forces this week, as they examine a US attack on a vessel in the Caribbean waters. This event, which allegedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, reportedly included a second strike that killed any survivors. White House Justifies Strikes as Self-Defense The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out “as a defensive action” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to attack the boat. Democrats have argued the claims, initially disclosed last week, could constitute a violation of international law, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on September 2nd. The House and Senate armed services committees have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters. “The Defense Secretary directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to ensure the vessel was neutralized and the danger to the United States of America was removed.” In her remarks to reporters, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were individuals who survived after the first attack. Her justification came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Legislative Concern and Administration Support Late on Monday, Hegseth posted: “The Admiral is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I support him and the battlefield judgments he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from commander of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been building in the legislature, but details of this follow-on strike stunned many legislators from across the aisle and generated serious inquiries about the legality of the attacks and the overall strategy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members said they did not have confirmation whether the recent report was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Still, they said the reported attacking of individuals of an first rocket attack presented serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. Administration and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The administration commented after the commander-in-chief on the weekend strongly defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He added, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have voiced some concerns about the allegations 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 Congressional armed services committees. He restated “his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every level”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The release further noted that the call focused on “discussing the intent and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illegal smuggling rings which endanger the safety and stability of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Figures React and Pledge Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the White House line that they were necessary to stop the influx of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune said the committees in Congress would look into what occurred. “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 “fake news is delivering more false, provocative, and disparaging reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the nation”. “Our ongoing missions in the Caribbean are legal under both US and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and approved by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “disgrace” over his reaction to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what happened. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the facts,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd strike was part of a sequence executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the buildup of a fleet of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the largest US carrier. Over eighty individuals were killed in the strikes.