US Navy admiral to update lawmakers on contentious 'double-tap' strike

Admiral Frank Bradley of the US Navy is scheduled to provide a classified briefing to senior members of Congress on Thursday regarding a recent contentious double strike targeting a vessel reportedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials within the Trump administration have faced scrutiny following the incident on September 2. Questions have emerged over the legality of the operation, as the rules of armed conflict prohibit targeting individuals who are incapacitated or no longer posing a threat.

The White House has stated that Admiral Bradley authorized the second strike and acted within legal boundaries. Sources indicate that Bradley will present video footage of the operation and detail the rationale behind his decisions. President Donald Trump has expressed no objection to making the second strike video public. Footage from the initial strike has already been released.

Reports from US media, including CBS, describe how two survivors attempted to reboard the vessel after the first strike before it was hit again. Officials suggest the individuals were believed to be attempting to recover drugs. Bradley is expected to argue to lawmakers that the survivors remained legitimate targets because the vessel was still thought to contain contraband.

The September 2 strike marked the beginning of a series of US military operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which have resulted in over 80 fatalities. Initial reporting by The Washington Post revealed that two people survived the first strike, and Hegseth allegedly ordered the follow-up attack. Both Hegseth and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell denied these claims at the time, calling them false and misleading. The White House later confirmed that Bradley, not Hegseth, ordered the second strike.

Hegseth has said he witnessed the first strike but did not see any survivors due to the conditions at the scene. He stated that he was informed later that Bradley had decided to "sink the boat and eliminate the threat," a decision Hegseth considered justified.

The strikes have drawn concern from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, particularly in the context of the broader US military campaign in the Caribbean. The US has increased its regional military presence, while Venezuela has condemned the strikes and accused the administration of attempting to destabilize its government. The White House claims the operations have significantly reduced drug trafficking, though no evidence has been publicly provided regarding the individuals targeted.

Legal experts have questioned whether the second strike was permissible under international law. Survivors could have been protected as shipwrecked individuals or incapacitated combatants under the Geneva Conventions. The Trump administration frames these operations as a non-international armed conflict with drug traffickers, yet the rules of engagement in such conflicts forbid targeting incapacitated participants.

Admiral Bradley has not publicly commented on the operation. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is expected to join him for the congressional briefing. Among those killed in the strikes is Alejandro Carranza, a Colombian citizen last seen on September 14, whose family has filed a complaint with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Author: Logan Reeves