US President Donald Trump expressed support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (Dec 2), saying he was “doing a great job” amid an ongoing investigation into Pentagon operations targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, including one vessel that was hit twice, the White House confirmed.
As the first cabinet member to speak, Hegseth reaffirmed the Pentagon’s commitment to targeting alleged drug vessels.
“As I’ve said and I’ll say it again, we’ve only just started attacking the narco-boats and throwing the narco-terrorists to the bottom of the ocean,” Hegseth said. “Because they poisoned the American people. And Joe Biden tried to approach it with kid gloves.”
Emphasis on stopping the drug trade
The defense minister emphasized the broader goals of the strikes: stopping the flow of drugs and eliminating threats.
“We stop drugs, we attack ships, we defeat narco-terrorists,” Hegseth added.
Hegseth cites the “fog of war”
Hegseth defended the second strike by citing the “fog of war”, emphasizing the uncertainty and confusion inherent in combat operations.
-He did not see any survivors in the water at the time of the second impact.
– The vessel was already on fire, which affected the decision.
-He didn’t stay for the rest of the mission after the first strike.
-The admiral in charge had “full authority” to order the follow-up strike and, in his opinion, “made the right call.”
The comments come amid scrutiny of Pentagon operations in the Caribbean. The report said a follow-up strike in September that killed survivors of the previous attack. Hegseth’s remarks signal continued aggressive action against alleged narco-terrorist activities at sea.
A subsequent strike triggers a check
The meeting comes after The Washington Post reported that the September 2 follow-up strike targeted survivors of an earlier attack. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the second strike, but clarified that the order came from a Navy admiral, not Hegseth.
“In light of the September 2nd strikes in question, Secretary Hegseth directed Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law and directed the engagement to ensure the destruction of the boat and the elimination of the threat to the United States of America,” Leavitt said.
The Minister of Defense is on the side of the commanders
Hegseth reiterated that the administration supports military commanders who make tough decisions.
“As President Trump, we always have our backs, we always have the backs of our commanders who make decisions in difficult situations. And we do in this case and all these strikes. They did the right things, we’re going to continue to do that, and we have their backs, Mr. President,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon press secretary added that both Trump and Hegseth are ultimately directing the strikes.
“At the end of the day, the secretary and the president are the ones driving these strikes,” the official said.
Adm. Bradley was preparing for a secret meeting
Navy Vice Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who oversaw the subsequent strike, is expected to brief lawmakers on Thursday.
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