Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is offering new details about what he knew during a U.S. operation that struck a suspected drug boat twice in September, an incident now facing potential congressional investigation.
Hegseth said he watched the initial strike and insisted Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley made the decision to carry out the second, disputing a Washington Post report alleging Hegseth ordered forces to kill everyone on the boats.
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Despite bipartisan criticism, Hegseth said Tuesday that the military will not be deterred from going after what he calls narco terrorists.
“We’ve only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they’ve been poisoning the American people,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon says it has conducted 21 strikes on boats in recent months, killing 82 people.
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Hegseth said he continues to support the mission and the commanders making difficult decisions in the “fog of war.”
“They’ve done the right things,” he said. “We’ll continue to do that, and we have their backs.”
President Trump said he was not immediately aware of the second strike. However, he backed the broader policy of targeting alleged drug traffickers and said operations could expand.
“I want those boats taken out, and if we have to, we’ll attack on land also, just like we attack on sea,” Trump said.
