🔗 Share this article American Navy Commander to Brief Congress as Cross-Party Scrutiny Grows Over Boat Strike A senior US Navy officer is scheduled to provide a classified update to lawmakers monitoring the armed forces this week, as investigators probe a US strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which reportedly struck a boat transporting narcotics, reportedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any remaining individuals. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with regulations governing military engagement. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a account that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in September to attack the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the claims, first reported recently, could constitute a war crime, and Republicans have also voiced their concerns about the legality of the attack on September 2nd. The Congressional military oversight panels have opened investigations into the recent US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “Secretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” stated Leavitt. “The commander worked well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the danger to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to reporters, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were individuals who survived after the initial attack. Her explanation came following former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Congressional Unease and Administration Support Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “The Admiral is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I support him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month after the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of Joint Special Operations Command to chief of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected drug-smuggling vessels has been building in the legislature, but details of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and sparked stark questions about the lawfulness of the operations and the broader policy in the region, 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 sceptical. Nevertheless, they said the alleged attacking of survivors of an initial missile strike posed grave issues and deserved additional investigation. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The White House commented after the president on the weekend vigorously supported Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the death of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt said Hegseth had conversed with members of Congress who may have voiced some worries about the reports over the weekend. Gen Dan Caine, the head of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers leading the Senate and House armed services committees. He reiterated “his faith in the seasoned officers at every echelon”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The statement further noted that the conversation focused on “addressing the purpose and legality of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and stability of the Americas”. Congressional Figures React and Promise Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday generally defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune said the panels in Congress would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to make any conclusions or inferences until you have complete information,” he remarked of the 2 September attack. “We’ll see where they point.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is delivering more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors working to protect the homeland”. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and global statutes, with every step in accordance with the rules of war – and approved by the most qualified legal advisors, throughout the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what happened. The GOP lawmaker for the state of Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate armed services committee, vowed that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the report were “serious charges”. The 2 September strike was part of a sequence carried out by the American armed forces in the Caribbean and Pacific as Trump has directed the deployment of a fleet of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the biggest US carrier. More than eighty individuals were killed in the series of attacks.
A senior US Navy officer is scheduled to provide a classified update to lawmakers monitoring the armed forces this week, as investigators probe a US strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which reportedly struck a boat transporting narcotics, reportedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any remaining individuals. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with regulations governing military engagement. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a account that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in September to attack the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the claims, first reported recently, could constitute a war crime, and Republicans have also voiced their concerns about the legality of the attack on September 2nd. The Congressional military oversight panels have opened investigations into the recent US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. “Secretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” stated Leavitt. “The commander worked well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the danger to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to reporters, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were individuals who survived after the initial attack. Her explanation came following former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Congressional Unease and Administration Support Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “The Admiral is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I support him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2nd operation and all others since.” A month after the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of Joint Special Operations Command to chief of USSOCOM. Anxiety over the administration’s armed actions against suspected drug-smuggling vessels has been building in the legislature, but details of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and sparked stark questions about the lawfulness of the operations and the broader policy in the region, 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 sceptical. Nevertheless, they said the alleged attacking of survivors of an initial missile strike posed grave issues and deserved additional investigation. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The White House commented after the president on the weekend vigorously supported Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the death of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt said Hegseth had conversed with members of Congress who may have voiced some worries about the reports over the weekend. Gen Dan Caine, the head of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers leading the Senate and House armed services committees. He reiterated “his faith in the seasoned officers at every echelon”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The statement further noted that the conversation focused on “addressing the purpose and legality of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the safety and stability of the Americas”. Congressional Figures React and Promise Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday generally defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the US. Thune said the panels in Congress would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to make any conclusions or inferences until you have complete information,” he remarked of the 2 September attack. “We’ll see where they point.” After the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “misleading reporting is delivering more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to discredit our remarkable warriors working to protect the homeland”. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and global statutes, with every step in accordance with the rules of war – and approved by the most qualified legal advisors, throughout the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the footage of the strike and testify under penalty of perjury about what happened. The GOP lawmaker for the state of Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate armed services committee, vowed that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the report were “serious charges”. The 2 September strike was part of a sequence carried out by the American armed forces in the Caribbean and Pacific as Trump has directed the deployment of a fleet of naval vessels near Venezuela, including the biggest US carrier. More than eighty individuals were killed in the series of attacks.