US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.Image: keystone
analysis
The US Secretary of Defense is said to have ordered the killing of defenseless people.
It is well known that Pete Hegseth is not the brightest candle in the Trump cake. The former host of the Fox News morning show was only allowed on weekends, his military record is meager – he was just a major in the National Guard – and after that he drove two veterans organizations into the wall because of his alcohol problem.
Donald Trump promoted Hegseth to the Pentagon for one reason only: The man is unconditionally loyal and blindly follows his every order, even if it violates existing laws. This is exactly what Hegseth seems to have done. That’s why he is now suspected of having ordered war crimes. But first things first:
Blindly loyal: Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump.Image: keystone
Trump has been waging a hidden war against Venezuela for months. It is obvious that he is seeking “regime change” in this country and wants to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro. Nobody would shed a single tear for this dictator, but the Americans’ actions are still more than questionable.
Under the pretext of stopping the import of the drug fentanyl into the USA, Trump sent his largest aircraft carrier and lots of soldiers to the Caribbean Sea. At the same time he gave the order to sink boats carrying this drug. The US President generously brushes under the table the fact that only a small part of the fentanyl that reaches the USA comes from Venezuela and that there is no proven connection between the drug traffickers and the Maduro regime.
From an international law perspective, the actions of the American military against alleged drug couriers from Venezuela are questionable – the responsible commander of the US Southern Command resigned because he did not want to take responsibility for the action. The way these actions are carried out makes it even more so. This is shown by an incident that took place in early autumn, but which the Washington Post only recently uncovered.
In keeping with his master’s wishes, Hegseth announced the actions in the Caribbean Sea in a martial manner. On These “kinetic strikes” have now led to the deaths of over 80 people.
Currently traveling in the Caribbean: The American aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford.Image: keystone
On September 2, a group from the elite Seal Team 6 sank a boat that was allegedly transporting drugs. Nine of the eleven crew members were killed immediately. Two of them were able to save themselves on the wreckage of the ship and were floating helplessly in the sea. Hegseth, who followed the action in real time, is said to have ordered a second attack with the words “Kill them all”.
This command was also executed. The Washington Post describes the result as follows: “If the video showing the explosion that killed the two survivors was ever released, people would be horrified. That’s what someone who watched the real-time transmission says.”
The actions of the American military in the Caribbean Sea are questionable under international law, and the killing of defenseless people that Hegseth is said to have ordered is a clear war crime. It also clearly violates the internal regulations of the American military. That’s why it could one day have consequences for the defense minister.
“The idea that the debris of a small ship floating on the ocean could pose a danger to shipping is obviously absurd,” MP Seth Moulton told the Washington Post. He is a Navy veteran and a member of the House Armed Service Committee, which was briefed on the incident. “Let me say,” Moulton continued, “it may take a while, but there will be a criminal investigation against the Americans involved, either as a war crime or even as outright murder.”
The president is (still) behind Pete Hegseth
For the time being, Hegseth doesn’t have to worry about it. The president covers him. The Secretary of Defense told him that he never gave this order, said Trump, “and I believe him 100 percent.”
But the matter is not off the table yet. Last Sunday, Senator Tim Kaine said on the TV show “Face the Nation”: “If the reports turn out to be accurate, then we are talking about a war crime.”
Should Trump one day roll up his protective shield over the defense minister, then things could get tight for Hegseth. And it is well known that the president drops his subordinates like hot potatoes when they are no longer of any use to him. In addition, Trump already has a possible successor in mind. His name is Dan Driscoll and he already works as US Army Secretary in the Pentagon.
Rising star in the Trump universe: Dan Driscoll.Image: keystone
The 38-year-old Driscoll is considered a rising star in Trump’s universe. He is already playing a key role in the peace negotiations in the Ukraine war. It is described as friendly, courteous, energetic – and very ambitious. He should even dare to make jokes in front of the president. «Look what a nice face he has, but he’s a killer. “I don’t know how he does it,” Trump praised him in the Oval Office, to which Driscoll replied: “Face cream.”
Driscoll owes his political career to JD Vance. The two have known each other since their days together at Yale Law School and are still in close contact. His relationship with Hegseth, on the other hand, is said to be tense. “Driscoll makes no secret of the fact that if Hegseth is fired, he is a contender to succeed him,” reports the Financial Times.
The embarrassing scandal with a top secret chat into which a journalist was mistakenly infiltrated, the flop with the military parade on July 4th and the embarrassing appearance of the Defense Minister in front of the assembled US generals, all of this did not escape Trump’s attention. The air has become thin for Hegseth.