Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before a briefing with members of Congress. Washington/Reuters Yonhap News
A significant backlash has erupted following a Washington Post report that a second attack was ordered to kill all passengers during the Caribbean boat assault, purportedly under the orders of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On the 1st (local time), the White House confirmed that it was not Secretary Hegseth but Navy Admiral Frank Bradley who ordered the second attack.
At a press conference, White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt stated, “Admiral Frank Bradley ordered the second attack on the Venezuelan drug vessel.” She added, “Admiral Bradley acted within his authority and legal framework when ordering the additional attack.” Spokesperson Leavitt confirmed that Secretary Hegseth approved the strike but did not issue an order to “kill them all,” as reported by the Washington Post.
Five U.S. officials told the New York Times, “Secretary Hegseth issued an order before the September 2 attack to ‘kill the boat occupants and destroy what was presumed to be a shipment of drugs.’ However, the order did not contain specific guidance on what to do if the first attack failed to achieve its objective.” They noted, “Admiral Bradley directed subsequent attacks after verifying survivors from the initial strike, leading to their deaths and sinking the vessel. Secretary Hegseth did not issue further orders during the operation.”
In recent weeks, the U.S. has conducted a series of attacks on suspected drug smuggling vessels in international waters near Venezuela and Colombia. These operations have resulted in over 80 deaths since early September. The controversial second strike happened after the initial attack, when two survivors were clinging to a burning ship, raising questions about its legality.
President Trump met at 5 PM to discuss follow-up actions regarding Venezuela with senior national security officials at the White House. Attendees included Secretary Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kane, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
During Barack Obama’s presidency, the U.S. military faced significant criticism for the drone attack practice known as the “double tap” during counterterrorism operations. It involved launching a second attack on the same target 5 to 20 minutes after the first missile strike. The intention was to eliminate remaining terrorist forces, but civilian rescuers and emergency responders were often caught in the crossfire, leading to allegations of war crimes. This situation bears similarities.
The Trump administration argues that the U.S. is in a formal state of armed conflict with drug cartels, designating cartel members as “combatants” and defining drug trafficking vessels as legitimate military targets based on a secret memo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. However, even if the Office of Legal Counsel’s interpretation is correct, killing incapacitated enemies constitutes a war crime. The Pentagon’s Law of War Manual stipulates that soldiers should disobey clearly unlawful orders, such as “orders to fire upon survivors of a distressed vessel.” Jeffrey Korn, a former Army legal advisor on war law issues, told the New York Times, “The administration’s claim that this situation can be legitimately treated as an armed conflict is incorrect. The entire attack is illegal,” adding, “Even if it is a military conflict, a specific order to remove incapacitated survivors is clearly a crime.” However, Korn noted, “If Admiral Bradley’s order was to complete the destruction of the ship, even if people were clinging to it, the situation becomes complex.”
Washington/Kim Won-chul, Correspondent