Pete Hegseth Sends Mysterious Message to Admiral Regarding Drug Boat Strike

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration appear to have placed Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley in a precarious position, attributing the command for a second strike on the survivors of a boat bombingan action that may be viewed as a war crimesquarely to him.

In a post on X Monday evening, Hegseth wrote: Lets make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my full support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has madeon the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this @DeptofWar says we have the back of our warriorswe mean it. His statement emphasized that Bradley was responsible for the operational decisions.

This cryptic statement comes amid the ongoing controversy from the September 2 boat bombing that resulted in nine fatalities. Reports indicate that two survivors were subsequently targeted, with The Washington Post claiming Hegseth had allegedly ordered to kill everybody. While neither Hegseth nor the White House have formally denied the order, they have begun attributing it to Bradley, the missions commanding officer at the time.

The wording of Hegseths message has been interpreted by some as more of a setup than genuine support. Social media users reacted sharply. One commented: Lets be absolutely clear: I stand behind Admiral Bradley, who made this decision and not me. It was the right decision, it was legal, I agree with it fully, and I had nothing to do with the decision Bradley made on his own, which I support.

Another critic wrote: Hegseth shifting responsibility while presenting himself as a tough supporter of the troops is peak Hegseth: cowardly, self-serving, and theatrically patriotic.

Meanwhile, Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Mike Rogers and Roger Wicker, alongside congressional Democrats, are moving to summon Bradley for a classified briefing to hear his account of the events.

Author: Lucas Grant