House Armed Services Committee ranking Republicans are demanding an explanation for the deaths of two Navy SEALs during an operation to intercept arms shipments to Houthi rebels.
Rep. Mike Walz (R-Florida), a retired Army Green Beret, said he mourned the deaths of the two Special Forces combatants but said there were “questions” about how the mission was conducted.
“My heart is broken by the loss of these two Navy SEALs,” Walz told FOX News Digital. “Our nation relies on the heroic actions of elite warriors like our Navy SEALs to carry out dangerous operations. I'm doing it,” he said.
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Congressman Mike Walz is demanding an explanation for the circumstances of the mission that led to the deaths of two Navy SEALs. (Getty Images)
“The risk assessment regarding the need to carry out the specific operations they were conducting is questionable. Is it clear that the strategy chosen by President Biden is a realistic way to deter Iran so that their lives are not lost in vain?” We have to make sure we have the potential.”
Mr. Walz is the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Military Readiness. He also serves on the House Committee on Intelligence and Oversight.
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“There are many questions about the planning, execution and aftermath of this operation. As the head of the Military Preparedness Committee, I have requested a detailed explanation,” he said on Monday's X program.
Naval Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Naval Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram went missing during a night boarding mission off the coast of Somalia earlier this month. (US Navy)
Earlier in the day, the Navy announced that Naval Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Naval Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage had completed their search and rescue mission.
According to the Navy, Chambers and Gage went missing at sea on January 11 during a nighttime raid on a ship carrying weapons from Iran intended to rearm Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
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The Associated Press reported that Gage slipped and fell into the Arabian Sea while on board a ship bound for Yemen, and that Chambers jumped in to save him.
Houthi fighters held rallies this month against US and UK attacks on Houthi-run military facilities near Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)
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They became the first two American soldiers to die in the ongoing conflict between the Houthis and Western nations. Iranian-backed militants have been attacking U.S. ships and other commercial vessels in the Red Sea, claiming they are defending Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas.
The United States responded with a multinational coalition of airstrikes against Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
