🔗 Share this article American Admiral to Brief Congress as Bipartisan Examination Grows Over Maritime Engagement A high-ranking American naval officer is set to provide a classified update to congressional members overseeing the military this Thursday, as they examine a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. This event, which allegedly struck a boat transporting drugs, reportedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any survivors. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the second strike was carried out “in self-defence” and in compliance with regulations pertaining to armed conflict. Bipartisan examination has increased over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in last month to strike the boat. Democrats have said the claims, initially disclosed last week, could constitute a war crime, and Republicans have also expressed their concerns about the lawfulness of the strike on September 2nd. The Congressional armed services committees have opened inquiries into the recent series of US military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. “The Defense Secretary directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to execute these kinetic strikes,” stated Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, overseeing the operation to ensure the vessel was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her justification came after former President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the event. Growing Legislative Concern and Administration Support Monday evening, Hegseth posted: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the battlefield judgments he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A thirty days following the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against alleged drug-smuggling vessels has been growing in Congress, but particulars of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and generated stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members said they did not know whether last week’s report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the alleged targeting of individuals of an first rocket attack presented grave issues and merited further scrutiny. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Stance The White House commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those individuals,” Trump stated. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some worries about the reports over the past few days. 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 Congressional armed services committees. He restated “his trust and confidence in the seasoned officers at every echelon”, Caine’s spokesperson said in a statement. The statement added that the call centered on “addressing the intent and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Leaders React and Promise Probe The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on Monday broadly supported the operations, repeating the White House line that they were necessary to stop the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the panels 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 remarked of the 2 September attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors fighting to protect the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and international law, with every step in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, throughout the military hierarchy,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the attack and appear under oath about what transpired. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate military panel, vowed that his committee's inquiry would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll find out the ground truth,” he said, stating that the implications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The 2 September strike was one in a series executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the deployment of a naval group of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.
A high-ranking American naval officer is set to provide a classified update to congressional members overseeing the military this Thursday, as they examine a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. This event, which allegedly struck a boat transporting drugs, reportedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any survivors. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the second strike was carried out “in self-defence” and in compliance with regulations pertaining to armed conflict. Bipartisan examination has increased over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in last month to strike the boat. Democrats have said the claims, initially disclosed last week, could constitute a war crime, and Republicans have also expressed their concerns about the lawfulness of the strike on September 2nd. The Congressional armed services committees have opened inquiries into the recent series of US military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. “The Defense Secretary directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to execute these kinetic strikes,” stated Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, overseeing the operation to ensure the vessel was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her justification came after former President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the event. Growing Legislative Concern and Administration Support Monday evening, Hegseth posted: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the battlefield judgments he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A thirty days following the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against alleged drug-smuggling vessels has been growing in Congress, but particulars of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and generated stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The congressional members said they did not know whether last week’s report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the alleged targeting of individuals of an first rocket attack presented grave issues and merited further scrutiny. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Stance The White House commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those individuals,” Trump stated. He continued, “And I trust him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some worries about the reports over the past few days. 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 Congressional armed services committees. He restated “his trust and confidence in the seasoned officers at every echelon”, Caine’s spokesperson said in a statement. The statement added that the call centered on “addressing the intent and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the western hemisphere”. Congressional Leaders React and Promise Probe The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on Monday broadly supported the operations, repeating the White House line that they were necessary to stop the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the panels 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 remarked of the 2 September attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is producing more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors fighting to protect the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and international law, with every step in accordance with the law of armed conflict – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, throughout the military hierarchy,” Hegseth wrote. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the attack and appear under oath about what transpired. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate military panel, vowed that his committee's inquiry would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll find out the ground truth,” he said, stating that the implications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The 2 September strike was one in a series executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the deployment of a naval group of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.