Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a White House Cabinet meeting Tuesday that he was not aware any survivors remained after a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean last September targeting a vessel suspected of carrying drugs, survivors who were later killed in a second strike. His remarks followed reporting that he had allegedly ordered military commanders to leave no survivors during the operation. According to those accounts, the initial strike on Sept. 2 disabled the vessel and left two individuals clinging to wreckage in the water, after which a follow-up strike was launched that killed them. Legal analysts and former military lawyers have warned that intentionally targeting survivors could constitute war crimes if proven. Hegseth pushed back forcefully, saying he never personally saw any survivors and described the scene as covered in flames, smoke, and chaos. He said the limitations of real-time surveillance and the “fog of war” made it impossible to determine with certainty who remained alive after the first strike, while also sharply criticizing the media for what he called mischaracterizations of battlefield decisions.
Hegseth acknowledged that he watched the initial strike live on Sept. 2 but said he left shortly afterward for another meeting and only learned hours later that the vessel had been fully destroyed. Since the story broke, administration officials have emphasized that responsibility for the second strike rested with the naval commander overseeing the mission, arguing he acted within his legal authority. The White House has repeatedly defended the decision-making chain, with senior officials insisting the follow-up strike complied with the law of armed conflict. Conflicting accounts have emerged, however, with other reports stating Hegseth authorized the strike itself but did not issue any instructions regarding survivors. President Donald Trump also addressed the controversy, saying he was unaware a second strike had taken place and would not have wanted one if civilians or incapacitated individuals were involved. He reiterated that he relies on his defense secretary for operational details and said he had been assured that the mission was handled properly, even as questions continue to swirl around what senior leaders knew, when they knew it, and how the final decision to carry out the second strike was made.