🔗 Share this article Administration Separates Pentagon Chief Hegseth from Subsequent Attack on Alleged Drug Vessel Welcome to our coverage of US politics. The Biden administration has asserted that a senior US Navy officer commanded a second round of attacks on an purported Venezuelan drug craft on the second day of September, not Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Defense Secretary Hegseth approved Admiral Bradley to execute these targeted attacks. Admiral Bradley acted well within his jurisdiction and the law managing the mission to make certain the vessel was neutralized and the danger to the United States was eradicated. During allegations that the defense secretary had instructed a violation of international law, administration spokesperson Leavitt said that Hegseth sanctioned the strikes but did not deliver an order to “take out everyone”. Upon questioning by a reporter to clarify how the strike was not an example of a war crime, Leavitt again supported the actions, asserting it was “executed in global seas and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”. Central Officer to Update Legislators US Navy senior officer Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley, who was leader of JSOC at the point of the engagement, will provide a confidential update to legislators on Thursday. Hegseth vowed his endorsement for Bradley in a online statement which presented the call as one taken by the officer, not him. “To be absolutely unambiguous: Vice Admiral Mitch Bradley is an heroic figure, a true professional, and has my complete backing. I back him and the operational calls he has made – on the September 2nd mission and all others since. The US is fortunate to have such individuals defending us.” Congressional Probes Initiated Each of the Senate and House military oversight panel chairs have declared inquiries into the claims, with few information currently disclosed on which individuals or which cargo was on the deck of the ship. Beginning in this past September, US air attacks have struck purported contraband-running craft in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of at least 83 people. The sitting government has provided no tangible proof to substantiate the assertions behind its lethal operations, and several analysts have questioned the legality of the operations. Wider Geopolitical Strains Separately, the disclosure that the twin-island nation has authorized the deployment of a US military radar installation has heightened apprehensions that the Caribbean nations could be sucked into the growing standoff between the US and Venezuela. Notwithstanding an apparent willingness to keep lines of communication open, frictions between Washington and Caracas remain significant as US operations against alleged smuggling craft in the Caribbean have been under way for an extended period. The state of affairs remains unfolding, with more updates and legislative review expected in the days ahead.