The Navy admiral who ordered the attack on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean on September 2 informed members of Congress late Thursday that he believed the survivors of the initial strike were gearing up for a potentially lethal mission when they received the order for pursuit.
Admiral Frank Bradley, the leader of U.S. Special Operations Command, provided the final directives for both the initial missile strike and subsequent attacks that resulted in 11 fatalities, following directives from Army Secretary Pete Hegseth to neutralize the vessel and its illicit cargo.
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing three Pentagon officials, surveillance footage did not identify the two survivors until about an hour post-attack, at which point Hegseth mentioned he had stopped viewing the video feed.
This situation left Bradley with the choice of whether to treat the two individuals as combatants needing further strikes or to categorize them as “incompetent” and call for their rescue.
Sources indicated that Bradley opted for additional attacks, noting the presence of other vessels believed to be involved in drug smuggling nearby, and that the survivors seemed to be attempting to communicate with others via radio.
The September 2 mission has been mired in controversy since the Washington Post reported on November 28 regarding attacks on survivors. The New York Times further revealed on Tuesday that Hegseth’s initial orders lacked clarity on what actions to take if there were any survivors from the initial strike.
Bradley is set to clarify his actions in a private meeting with members of the Republican-led House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which are investigating the operation.
In the meantime, President Trump expressed support on Wednesday for making the full surveillance video from the September 2 attack public, despite only excerpts of the footage currently being available.
“Whatever they have, we’re going to release it,” said Trump, standing by the War Department amid suggestions that the airstrikes could be viewed as war crimes.
Since the September 2 incident, U.S. forces have executed 21 operations targeting South American drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in over 80 deaths. The White House has hinted at the possibility of more strikes.
“You realize this is a war,” the president remarked on Wednesday. “They were killing our people… We know their locations, their manufacturing sites, where everything is being assembled. I think we’re going to see action on the ground soon.”
