Journalism of Courage
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that he did not see any survivors in the water before a second strike was carried out on an alleged drug-smuggling boat from Venezuela in September, saying the decision took place in what he called the “fog of war,” Reuters reported.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said: “I did not personally see survivors. The thing was on fire,” adding that the situation was unclear at the time. He said this uncertainty was “called the fog of war.”
He also criticised media reporting. “This is what you and the press don’t understand,” he said. “You sit in your air-conditioned office and you nitpick and you plant fake stories in The Washington Post.”
Hegseth said criticism of the strike was based on “anonymous sources… not based in any truth at all,” and said it was unfair to question the judgement of US personnel involved.
President Donald Trump did not directly answer questions about the strikes, saying only that US actions against suspected drug boats had saved lives.
“To me, it was an attack,” Trump said. “It wasn’t one strike, two strikes, three strikes.” Asked specifically about the second strike, he said: “I didn’t know about the second strike… I rely on Pete.”
The White House confirmed on Monday that Vice Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley ordered the second strike, which killed survivors from the initial attack. It said Bradley acted “within his authority and the law.”
Hegseth said he watched the first strike live on 2 September but “didn’t stick around for the hour, two hours, whatever” while the rest of the digital assessment took place, adding that he had moved on to another meeting.
He said he later learned that the commander decided to “sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” which he called the “correct decision.”
He added: “For the first couple of strikes… you want to own that responsibility. So I said, I’m going to be the one to make the call after getting all the information.”
US lawmakers have launched reviews of the broader US campaign targeting vessels suspected of carrying drugs. Vice Adm. Bradley is expected to give a classified briefing this week to congressional committees overseeing the military, Reuters reported.
