A Navy admiral who was the commanding officer during U.S. military strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug ship in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that he received no “kill them all” order from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, but video of the attack has left serious questions as Congress investigates the mission that killed two helpless survivors.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared in a series of secret, closed-door meetings at the Capitol as lawmakers conducted an investigation following a report that he ordered the follow-up attack that killed the survivors to comply with Hegesth’s demands. Legal experts said such a strike could violate the laws of military war.
“Bradley was very clear that he received no such order, to give no quarter or kill them all,” Sen. Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said as he left the secret meeting, according to an Associated Press report.
Who is Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley?
At the time of the attack, Bradley was commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, overseeing coordinated operations among the Army’s elite special operations units from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. About a month after the strike, he was promoted to commander of the US Special Operations Command.
Bradley’s career in the U.S. Armed Forces, spanning more than 30 years, was mostly spent serving with the elite Navy SEALs and commanding joint operations. He was one of the first Special Forces officers to be deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. His latest promotion to admiral was approved unanimously in the Senate this year, and Democratic and Republican senators praised his record.
Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., described Bradley as one of those “solid as a rock” and “the most special people to ever serve in the military.”
But lawmakers insisted they expect a showdown if survivors are found to have been targeted. “Everybody in the chain of command who was responsible for this, who had the vision for this, has to be held accountable,” Tillis said, according to the AP.
What was the order given?
“The order basically was: Destroy the drugs, kill 11 people on the ship,” said Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Smith, who is calling for further investigation, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of an overturned and disabled boat and drifting in the water – until the missiles come and kill them.”
The classified meetings with Bradley alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain provided new information at a key moment when Hegseth’s leadership is coming under scrutiny. But they have done little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s campaign to use military force against suspected drug traffickers. So far, more than 80 people have been killed in 20 attacks.
