đ Share this article US Navy Commander to Update Congress as Cross-Party Examination Grows Over Boat Strike A senior US Navy officer is scheduled to deliver a confidential update to lawmakers overseeing the military this Thursday, as they examine a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. This event, which reportedly struck a craft carrying drugs, reportedly included a follow-up engagement that killed any survivors. Administration Justifies Strikes as Self-Defense The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out âas a defensive actionâ and in compliance with laws pertaining to armed conflict. Cross-party scrutiny has mounted over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to strike the vessel. Democrats have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and GOP members have also expressed their apprehensions about the legality of the attack on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have opened inquiries into the recent series of US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. âSecretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,â stated Leavitt. âThe commander worked well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the operation to guarantee the boat was neutralized and the threat to the United States of America was removed.â In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were survivors after the first strike. Her justification came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he âwouldnât have wanted that â not a second strikeâ when asked about the event. Growing Legislative Unease and Internal Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth posted: âAdm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate professional, and has my 100% support. I support him and the battlefield judgments he has made â on the September 2nd operation and all others since.â A month following the strike, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the governmentâs armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking boats has been growing in the legislature, but particulars of this follow-on strike shocked many legislators from both parties and generated serious questions about the legality of the attacks and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president NicolĂĄs Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether last weekâs news story was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the reported attacking of survivors of an initial missile strike presented serious concerns and deserved further scrutiny. Administration and Military Officials Affirm Stance The administration commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday vigorously supported Hegseth. âPete said he did not order the death of those two men,â Trump said. He continued, âAnd I trust him.â Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have voiced some concerns about the reports over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers heading the Senate and House military committees. He reiterated âhis trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelonâ, Caineâs spokesperson said in a release. The release added that the call focused on âdiscussing the purpose and lawfulness of missions to disrupt illegal smuggling rings which endanger the safety and security of the western hemisphereâ. Congressional Leaders React and Promise Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday generally defended the missions, echoing the White House line that they were necessary to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the US. Thune stated the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. âI donât think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,â he remarked of the 2 September attack. âWeâll see where they lead.â Following the report, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that âfake news is producing more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to undermine our remarkable service members fighting to protect the nationâ. âOur ongoing missions in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and international law, with every step in accordance with the rules of war â and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,â Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a âdisgraceâ over his response to critics. Schumer called for that Hegseth release the video of the attack and appear 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, vowed that his panelâs investigation would be âdone by the numbersâ. âWeâll discover the ground truth,â he said, noting that the implications of the report were âgrave accusationsâ. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the buildup of a naval group of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the largest US carrier. Over 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.
A senior US Navy officer is scheduled to deliver a confidential update to lawmakers overseeing the military this Thursday, as they examine a US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. This event, which reportedly struck a craft carrying drugs, reportedly included a follow-up engagement that killed any survivors. Administration Justifies Strikes as Self-Defense The administration spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, on the start of the week asserted that the follow-on engagement was carried out âas a defensive actionâ and in compliance with laws pertaining to armed conflict. Cross-party scrutiny has mounted over a account that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken command in last month to strike the vessel. Democrats have said the claims, first reported last week, could amount to a violation of international law, and GOP members have also expressed their apprehensions about the legality of the attack on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have opened inquiries into the recent series of US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and Pacific waters. âSecretary Hegseth directed Adm [Frank M] Bradley to conduct these military actions,â stated Leavitt. âThe commander worked well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the operation to guarantee the boat was neutralized and the threat to the United States of America was removed.â In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not dispute the account that there were survivors after the first strike. Her justification came following ex-President Donald Trump a day earlier remarked he âwouldnât have wanted that â not a second strikeâ when asked about the event. Growing Legislative Unease and Internal Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth posted: âAdm Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a consummate professional, and has my 100% support. I support him and the battlefield judgments he has made â on the September 2nd operation and all others since.â A month following the strike, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the governmentâs armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking boats has been growing in the legislature, but particulars of this follow-on strike shocked many legislators from both parties and generated serious questions about the legality of the attacks and the broader policy in the area, particularly toward Venezuelan president NicolĂĄs Maduro. The congressional members indicated they did not have confirmation whether last weekâs news story was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the reported attacking of survivors of an initial missile strike presented serious concerns and deserved further scrutiny. Administration and Military Officials Affirm Stance The administration commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday vigorously supported Hegseth. âPete said he did not order the death of those two men,â Trump said. He continued, âAnd I trust him.â Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with members of Congress who may have voiced some concerns about the reports over the weekend. General Dan Caine, the head of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers heading the Senate and House military committees. He reiterated âhis trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelonâ, Caineâs spokesperson said in a release. The release added that the call focused on âdiscussing the purpose and lawfulness of missions to disrupt illegal smuggling rings which endanger the safety and security of the western hemisphereâ. Congressional Leaders React and Promise Investigation The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on Monday generally defended the missions, echoing the White House line that they were necessary to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the US. Thune stated the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. âI donât think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,â he remarked of the 2 September attack. âWeâll see where they lead.â Following the report, Hegseth wrote on the end of the week that âfake news is producing more fabricated, provocative, and derogatory reporting to undermine our remarkable service members fighting to protect the nationâ. âOur ongoing missions in the Caribbean are lawful under both American and international law, with every step in accordance with the rules of war â and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,â Hegseth stated. The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a âdisgraceâ over his response to critics. Schumer called for that Hegseth release the video of the attack and appear 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, vowed that his panelâs investigation would be âdone by the numbersâ. âWeâll discover the ground truth,â he said, noting that the implications of the report were âgrave accusationsâ. The 2 September engagement was part of a sequence carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the buildup of a naval group of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the largest US carrier. Over 80 people were fatally wounded in the strikes.