Exclusive: Admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers survivors on capsized boat did not call for backup

The two men who died while clinging to their overturned boat during a U.S. military strike on a suspected drug vessel in early September did not have radios or other communication devices, a top military official overseeing the operation told Congress on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the briefings.

Earlier, some defense officials had defended the secondary strike, claiming the survivors might have radioed for reinforcements, which could have allowed them to continue trafficking drugs from the sinking vessel. That justification was cited in congressional briefings in September and repeated by several media outlets recently.

However, Adm. Frank Mitch Bradley, who led the Joint Special Operations Command at the time and directed the strike, acknowledged during the briefings that the survivors were unable to send a distress signal. The initial attack, targeting a boat reportedly carrying cocaine, killed nine people instantly and split the vessel in two, leaving a portion floating with a thick smoke plume rising from the wreckage.

Surveillance footage shown to lawmakers included a close-up view of the two survivors clinging to the capsized section. Bradley and military command personnel debated for nearly an hour41 minutes according to one U.S. officialon how to proceed as they watched the men struggle to stabilize the remains of their boat.

Ultimately, Bradley ordered a second strike that destroyed the remaining portion of the vessel, killing the two survivors. The rationale provided was that the boat still contained cocaine and the men could potentially resume trafficking if rescued. One source described the logic behind the decision as insane.

Senators Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, reported that a total of four missiles were used: two in the initial strike and two in the secondary attack.

The attack has sparked bipartisan concern because international law prohibits targeting shipwrecked individuals, who are defined as people in need of assistance and care and who must not be attacked. While many Republicans support broader U.S. operations in the Caribbean, the September 2 strike has prompted the Senate Armed Services Committee to pursue oversight.

Lawmakers reactions to the video varied widely. Cotton described seeing survivors attempting to right a drug-laden boat, while House Intelligence Committee Chairman Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, called it one of the most troubling things he has witnessed, emphasizing that the men were unarmed and incapable of continuing their mission.

The evolving explanation of the secondary strike highlights inconsistencies in the administrations account. Initially, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized reports of the second strike as fabricated and inflammatory. Days later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the strike occurred and identified Bradley as the officer who ordered it.

Hegseths involvement, including the instructions he gave Bradley, remains under scrutiny. Lawmakers were told Hegseth authorized lethal strikes before the mission but was unaware of the survivors until after the second strike.

Since September 2, the U.S. military has conducted more than 20 additional strikes on vessels suspected of carrying narco-terrorists, resulting in at least 87 deaths. Legal experts have questioned the lawfulness of these operations. Sen. Coons noted that the guiding principle of targeting boats associated with narcotics trafficking remains under debate.

Author: Maya Henderson