The White House has publicly confirmed and defended a controversial military action in which a US admiral ordered a second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel, resulting in the deaths of two survivors from an initial attack.
Defence of a Lethal Order
In a statement on Monday 01 December 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley was "well within his authority and the law" when he directed the follow-up engagement. She emphasised that the operation was conducted in international waters and complied with the law of armed conflict.
The confirmation came after reports alleged that commentator Pete Hegseth had instructed military personnel to "kill everybody" on board the vessels. According to these accounts, the two survivors were subsequently "blown apart in the water" by the second strike.
Legal Experts Cry Foul
The White House's legal justification has been met with immediate and fierce criticism from specialists in international law. Multiple law-of-war experts have described the actions as potential murders and war crimes.
Their criticism centres on a key provision in the Pentagon's own rulebook. The Department of Defense Law of War Manual explicitly prohibits attacking persons who are shipwrecked, which these survivors arguably were following the initial engagement. This fundamental rule is designed to protect combatants who are no longer capable of fighting or posing a threat.
Bipartisan Call for Scrutiny in Congress
The political fallout has transcended party lines in Washington. Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have reacted with alarm, pledging what they term "vigorous oversight" of the incident.
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have called for formal investigations into the alleged criminal acts, signalling that the administration will face significant pressure to provide a more detailed account of the decisions that led to the fatal second strike.
The White House, however, maintains its position. In its full statement, it characterised the second strike that killed the alleged drug boat survivors as an act of 'self defence', a framing that is likely to be rigorously tested in the coming weeks by legal experts and congressional committees alike.
