🔗 Share this article US Navy Commander to Update Congress as Cross-Party Scrutiny Intensifies Over Maritime Engagement A high-ranking US Navy officer is set to provide a classified update to lawmakers overseeing the military this week, as they probe a American attack on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which reportedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a second strike that killed any survivors. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the follow-on engagement was conducted “in self-defence” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued a spoken command in September to attack the boat. Democrats have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and Republicans have also expressed their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on 2 September. The Congressional military oversight panels have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and eastern Pacific Ocean. “Secretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” stated Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the law, overseeing the operation to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was removed.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial attack. Her explanation came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “would not have approved that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Legislative Concern and Administration Support Monday evening, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate 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 thirty days following the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the government’s military strikes against alleged narcotics-trafficking boats has been building in Congress, but particulars of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and generated serious questions about the lawfulness of the operations and the overall strategy in the area, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers indicated they did not know whether the recent report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they said the alleged targeting of survivors of an initial rocket attack presented grave issues and deserved further scrutiny. Administration and Pentagon Leaders Affirm Position The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend vigorously defended Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had conversed with congressional representatives who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the head of the joint chiefs of staff, also communicated over the weekend period with the bipartisan leaders leading the Senate and House armed services committees. He restated “his faith in the experienced commanders at every echelon”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The release further noted that the call centered on “discussing the purpose and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders Respond and Pledge Investigation The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on the week's start broadly defended the missions, repeating the White House line that they were essential to stop 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 make any conclusions or inferences until you have all the facts,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” Following the news article, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and disparaging coverage to discredit our incredible warriors working to protect the nation”. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and international law, with every step in compliance with the rules of war – and sanctioned by the best legal advisors, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to detractors. Schumer called for that Hegseth make public the footage of the attack and testify under oath about what transpired. The GOP lawmaker for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s inquiry would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll find out the facts,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the deployment of a naval group of warships near the Venezuelan coast, including the biggest US carrier. Over eighty individuals were fatally wounded in the strikes.
A high-ranking US Navy officer is set to provide a classified update to lawmakers overseeing the military this week, as they probe a American attack on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which reportedly targeted a craft transporting drugs, allegedly included a second strike that killed any survivors. White House Defends Actions as Defensive Measures The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the follow-on engagement was conducted “in self-defence” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict. Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued a spoken command in September to attack the boat. Democrats have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and Republicans have also expressed their apprehensions about the legality of the strike on 2 September. The Congressional military oversight panels have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and eastern Pacific Ocean. “Secretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,” stated Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the law, overseeing the operation to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was removed.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the initial attack. Her explanation came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he “would not have approved that – not a follow-up attack” when questioned about the incident. Mounting Legislative Concern and Administration Support Monday evening, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate 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 thirty days following the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of JSOC to chief of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the government’s military strikes against alleged narcotics-trafficking boats has been building in Congress, but particulars of this subsequent attack shocked many legislators from both parties and generated serious questions about the lawfulness of the operations and the overall strategy in the area, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers indicated they did not know whether the recent report was true, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they said the alleged targeting of survivors of an initial rocket attack presented grave issues and deserved further scrutiny. Administration and Pentagon Leaders Affirm Position The White House weighed in after the president on the weekend vigorously defended Hegseth. “Pete said he did not order the killing of those individuals,” Trump said. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had conversed with congressional representatives who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the head of the joint chiefs of staff, also communicated over the weekend period with the bipartisan leaders leading the Senate and House armed services committees. He restated “his faith in the experienced commanders at every echelon”, Caine’s office said in a statement. The release further noted that the call centered on “discussing the purpose and lawfulness of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders Respond and Pledge Investigation The Senate majority leader, John Thune, on the week's start broadly defended the missions, repeating the White House line that they were essential to stop 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 make any conclusions or inferences until you have all the facts,” he said of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” Following the news article, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that “misleading reporting is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and disparaging coverage to discredit our incredible warriors working to protect the nation”. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and international law, with every step in compliance with the rules of war – and sanctioned by the best legal advisors, up and down the military hierarchy,” Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “disgrace” over his response to detractors. Schumer called for that Hegseth make public the footage of the attack and testify under oath about what transpired. The GOP lawmaker for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s inquiry would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll find out the facts,” he said, noting that the ramifications of the allegation were “serious charges”. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence executed by the American armed forces in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has directed the deployment of a naval group of warships near the Venezuelan coast, including the biggest US carrier. Over eighty individuals were fatally wounded in the strikes.