Pete Hegseth: Did he order a war crime?Image: keystone
In the case of a controversial attack in which, according to media reports, two survivors were killed after the destruction of an alleged drug smuggling boat, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied direct responsibility.
Dec 3, 2025, 6:52 amDec 3, 2025, 6:52 am
Hegseth said after a cabinet meeting in the White House that he followed the first attack on the boat in the Caribbean live at the beginning of September, but then went to another appointment. “I personally didn’t see any survivors,” emphasized Hegseth. There was smoke and fire, he added. “This is the fog of war.”
The background is reports from CNN and the Washington Post that on September 2nd the US military first attacked a boat in the Caribbean that was said to have been transporting drugs with one blow and then killed two surviving men with a second blow. According to experts, the second attack may have violated international law – according to the Washington Post, the men had clung to the smoldering wreckage and posed no immediate threat.
Hegseth now said that he only found out a few hours later that the commander in charge, Admiral Frank M. Bradley, had made the decision “which he was fully authorized to make.” Admiral Bradley made the right decision to sink the boat and eliminate the threat. “We stand behind him,” said Hegseth.
Sharp criticism from our own camp
Republican Senator Rand Paul sharply criticized the Pentagon’s actions and Hegseth. Paul said in Washington that he considered not only the second strike, but the attacks as a whole to be illegal. You can’t just say, “Well, they have drugs,” and then use lethal force without evidence. The affected boats were also thousands of kilometers away from the USA and were not even able to reach the US coast.
Paul thereby questioned the portrayal of the administration of US President Donald Trump, according to which the boats and their occupants were an imminent threat to the USA that justified such operations. The Republican is one of the most prominent party members who regularly goes against the party line. He is very skeptical about US military operations abroad.
CNN also quoted the senator as accusing Hegseth of either lying or being incompetent. The minister initially said reports of a second attack on September 2nd were false. “The next day they say from the White House podium that he did exist,” Paul said, according to CNN.
Trump: “I wasn’t involved”
Trump spoke cautiously about the case. As for the attack, he hasn’t received much information yet because he relies on Hegseth. But for him it was an attack, not one or two or three punches. Someone asked him a question about the second shot. «I didn’t know anything about the second blow. I didn’t know anything about the people. I wasn’t involved.” Trump emphasized that the commander in charge was an extraordinary man.
Looking for a scapegoat?
The Washington Post reported that there is concern in Congress and the Defense Department that the Trump administration wants to make the commander in charge a scapegoat in order to take pressure off Hegseth.
For weeks, the US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean that were allegedly used to smuggle drugs into the US. In addition, soldiers were ordered to the Caribbean. The world’s largest aircraft carrier “USS Gerald R. Ford” was also relocated to the region – accompanied by other warships and a long-range bomber.
Hegseth announced further attacks at the cabinet meeting. “We have only just begun destroying drug boats and sending drug terrorists to the bottom of the sea,” said Hegseth.
According to the minister, the amount of drugs coming into the country via sea has now fallen by 91 percent. The USA has therefore taken a short break in attacks on drug smuggling boats, “because it is currently difficult to find boats that we can attack”. The information cannot be independently verified. (sda/dpa)