Hegseth has come out swinging in defense of Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley

 

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come out swinging in defense of Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the commander who authorised a second strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean Sea — a decision now stirring political noise but earning full-throated backing from the Pentagon’s top man.

 

Hegseth lit up social media on Monday, declaring the embattled admiral “an American hero, a true professional” and stressing he has Bradley’s “100% support.” The unusually sharp intervention signals the Pentagon’s refusal to let its front-line commanders be hung out to dry amid mounting scrutiny over the September 2 operation.

 

According to officials, the boarding team had already disabled the vessel once, but the situation escalated, leading Bradley to order a second strike to ensure the threat was neutralised. Critics have questioned whether the follow-up shot was proportionate. Those inside the Navy say it was textbook procedure in a highly volatile, drug-smuggling corridor where hesitation can get sailors killed.

 

Hegseth’s defence sends a message: this administration will not allow Monday-morning quarterbacks to second-guess battlefield decisions from thousands of miles away. Military insiders say Bradley is known for being calm under pressure — a commander who doesn’t make split-second calls lightly.

 

The incident is now undergoing routine review, but officials stress there is no evidence of misconduct, and early indicators suggest the admiral acted within established rules of engagement.

 

While politicians and pundits try to turn the affair into another flashpoint, Hegseth is making clear he won’t tolerate a media circus at the expense of operational integrity. If anything, the Pentagon’s response has only amplified the message: Bradley acted decisively, lawfully, and in defense of his sailors.

Key Takeaways

• Hegseth publicly defends Adm. Frank Bradley as an “American hero.”

• The admiral ordered a second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat on Sept. 2.

• Pentagon says early assessments show no misconduct and firm rules-of-engagement compliance.

 

SOURCE THE HILL

 

I don't understand the "lawfully" aspect. I thought killing civilians at sea was called piracy. Evidence proving drug smuggling would have helped.

4 minutes ago, Purdey said:

I don't understand the "lawfully" aspect. I thought killing civilians at sea was called piracy. Evidence proving drug smuggling would have helped.

They declared that group a Terrorist org. They have the right under law to stop them where they find them. 
Why would they show you any evidence ? odd

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

the boarding team had already disabled the vessel once, but the situation escalated, leading Bradley to order a second strike to ensure the threat was neutralised. Critics have questioned whether the follow-up shot was proportionate.

 

What threat?

 

Unarmed civilian boat 1000+ miles from the US coastline, already hit, dead in the water, injured civilians clinging to the smoldering debris.

 

And they fired again to murder the survivors.

 

How <deleted> heroic.

 

Give the man a medal, he's earned it.

 

MAGA!

 

 

Off topic troll posts about einsatgruppen and Chinese in New York have been removed, another post from you has been edited

@NoDisplayName

1 hour ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

What threat?

 

Unarmed civilian boat 1000+ miles from the US coastline, already hit, dead in the water, injured civilians clinging to the smoldering debris.

 

And they fired again to murder the survivors.

 

How <deleted> heroic.

 

Give the man a medal, he's earned it.

 

MAGA!

 

 

 

The “unarmed civilians” line is pure fiction.

That boat was a cartel go-fast vessel with 11 armed Sinaloa operatives hauling fentanyl precursors straight toward the U.S. It was in the exact Caribbean corridor they use to poison America with 80 000 overdose deaths a year.

Dead in the water doesn’t mean harmless; it’s still a floating $5 M drug shipment that cartel recovery teams would have scooped up and sent right back into circulation.

First strike crippled it. Second strike sank it and denied the cargo forever. That’s textbook denial of enemy assets under ROE, not “murdering survivors.”No confirmed civilians, no fishermen; just traffickers who lost the game they started.

Heroic? Absolutely. Every gram denied saves American lives.

Cry harder for the poison dealers.

30 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Heroic? Absolutely. Every gram denied saves American lives.

Cry harder for the poison dealers.

So how do you explain Twitler's pardon of the ex-Honduran president who killed millions of AmeriKKKans by exporting thousands of pounds of cocaine into the US? Sounds like the orange baby was crying his brains out.

26 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

The “unarmed civilians” line is pure fiction.

That boat was a cartel go-fast vessel with 11 armed Sinaloa operatives hauling fentanyl precursors straight toward the U.S. It was in the exact Caribbean corridor they use to poison America with 80 000 overdose deaths a year.

Dead in the water doesn’t mean harmless; it’s still a floating $5 M drug shipment that cartel recovery teams would have scooped up and sent right back into circulation.

First strike crippled it. Second strike sank it and denied the cargo forever. That’s textbook denial of enemy assets under ROE, not “murdering survivors.”No confirmed civilians, no fishermen; just traffickers who lost the game they started.

Heroic? Absolutely. Every gram denied saves American lives.

Cry harder for the poison dealers.

Of course, it's not true! 🤣

 

There is no reliable source claiming that the boat was related to Sinaloa Cartel and was carrying Fentanyl precursors.

46 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

The “unarmed civilians” line is pure fiction.

That boat was a cartel go-fast vessel with 11 armed Sinaloa operatives hauling fentanyl precursors straight toward the U.S. It was in the exact Caribbean corridor they use to poison America with 80 000 overdose deaths a year.

Dead in the water doesn’t mean harmless; it’s still a floating $5 M drug shipment that cartel recovery teams would have scooped up and sent right back into circulation.

First strike crippled it. Second strike sank it and denied the cargo forever. That’s textbook denial of enemy assets under ROE, not “murdering survivors.”No confirmed civilians, no fishermen; just traffickers who lost the game they started.

Heroic? Absolutely. Every gram denied saves American lives.

Cry harder for the poison dealers.

 

No further comment.

 

Stuff happens.  I'll admit much of what I used to do was grayish, but I never crossed the line to commit war crimes, despite memos being issued.

 

Current actions are illegal, according to both Department of Defense Law of War Manual and Geneva Conventions.

https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118301/documents/HMKP-119-JU00-20250521-SD013.pdf

 

Quote

 

Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered US in a deal with Trump administration

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of
cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. last week as part of a deal between a son of the former
head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent
journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited
to the United States in 2023, had entered the U.S.

 

 

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/juan-orlando-hernandez-former-president-honduras-convicted-manhattan-federal-court

 

Quote

 

A federal jury convicted Juan Orlando Hernández, also known as JOH, 55, of Honduras, on all three counts in the indictment, which included cocaine-importation and weapons offenses. Hernández is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26.

“Juan Orlando Hernández abused his position as President of Honduras to operate the country as a narco-state where violent drug traffickers were allowed to operate with virtual impunity, and the people of Honduras and the United States were forced to suffer the consequences,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As today’s conviction demonstrates, the Justice Department is disrupting the entire ecosystem of drug trafficking networks that harm the American people, no matter how far or how high we must go.”

“When the leader of Honduras and the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel work hand-in-hand to send deadly drugs into American communities, both deserve to be held accountable in the United States,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “This case should send a clear message that no one is above the law or beyond our reach.”

 

 

 

https://www.dw.com/en/honduran-president-accused-of-smuggling-cocaine-into-us/a-56821835

 

Quote

 

A US prosecutor accused Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Tuesday of assisting a drug trafficker smuggle tons of cocaine into the US.

Assistant US Attorney Jacob Gutwillig made the accusation during his opening statement at the trial of accused drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez.

Court documents, which identify Hernandez as a co-conspirator, quoted him as saying he wanted to "shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos' by flooding the United States with cocaine." The statements are based on the statements of an accountant who said he attended meetings between the president and Fuentes Ramirez in 2013 and 2014.

 

 

Very curious. So one line is that El Chapo's brother, who is running the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico has done a deal with the Americans. But did the deal include the former Honduran Narco-President? A Pardon is a forgiveness for a crime committed. The former Honduran President is a convicted criminal, responsible, in part, for the deaths of thousands of Americans, probalby more than Bin Laden. I thought if the US President harbors doubts about the safeness of the conviction, he could order the case to be reopened, and Hernández can instruct his lawyers to seek bail.

 

Some are taking it as fact about the nature of the intercepted boats. Apparently because "Intelligence" said it was so. The same "Intelligence" was so certain of the imminent threat of Saddam Husseins WMDs (40 minutes to Europe), that a multi-national invasion of Iraq was organised.

 

Intelligence

 

 

 

Bad Intelligence

 

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, candide said:

Of course, it's not true! 🤣

 

There is no reliable source claiming that the boat was related to Sinaloa Cartel and was carrying Fentanyl precursors.

 

USA Today (Sep 3, 2025): Admin designated Sinaloa as FTO; boat from Venezuela targeted for narcotics smuggling.

 

ABC News Timeline (Nov 16, 2025😞 Trump: "Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place" post-strike; Hegseth videos confirm narco-vessels.

abcnews.go.com

 

FactCheck.org (Oct 30, 2025): DoD: Vessel "loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics"; 14 strikes since Sep killed 61 cartel operatives.

factcheck.org

 

Reuters (Sep 4, 2025): Rubio: Boat full of "cocaine or fentanyl" = imminent U.S. threat; ops against Venezuelan cartels continue.

reuters.com

 

Pentagon released video of the Sept. 2 strike showing a "go-fast" boat destroyed, described as laden with narcotics.

 

Critics note no public cargo photos (due to sinkage), but US intel evidence is the basis—same as thousands of Obama-era drone strikes.

12 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

No further comment.

 

Stuff happens.  I'll admit much of what I used to do was grayish, but I never crossed the line to commit war crimes, despite memos being issued.

 

Current actions are illegal, according to both Department of Defense Law of War Manual and Geneva Conventions.

 

No, the actions are not proven illegal—the statement assumes illegality based on unverified allegations from anonymous leaks (e.g., Hegseth's purported "kill everybody" order leading to a second strike on survivors). As of December 3, 2025:

No indictments, charges, or convictions have been issued; bipartisan congressional probes (Senate/House Armed Services Committees) are ongoing, demanding full video/audio evidence but have not concluded.

 

Experts (e.g., Geoffrey Corn, Michael Schmitt) say if survivors were targeted, it would violate DoD Law of War Manual (§5.4.7 on denial of quarter) and Geneva Conventions (AP I Art. 41 on hors de combat protections)—but emphasize it's conditional on facts proving intent

 

White House/DoD deny targeting survivors, calling the leak "fabricated"; they frame the second strike as sinking a "navigation hazard" for cargo denial, not willful killing—potentially legal under NIAC rules if no incapacitated persons were visible.

18 hours ago, Slowhand225 said:

They declared that group a Terrorist org. They have the right under law to stop them where they find them. 
Why would they show you any evidence ? odd

Er, because they could be lying?

Killing Shipwrecked Survivors is Not Just Illegal—It Endangers U.S. Servicemembers.

2 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

USA Today (Sep 3, 2025): Admin designated Sinaloa as FTO; boat from Venezuela targeted for narcotics smuggling.

 

ABC News Timeline (Nov 16, 2025😞 Trump: "Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place" post-strike; Hegseth videos confirm narco-vessels.

abcnews.go.com

 

FactCheck.org (Oct 30, 2025): DoD: Vessel "loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics"; 14 strikes since Sep killed 61 cartel operatives.

factcheck.org

 

Reuters (Sep 4, 2025): Rubio: Boat full of "cocaine or fentanyl" = imminent U.S. threat; ops against Venezuelan cartels continue.

reuters.com

 

Pentagon released video of the Sept. 2 strike showing a "go-fast" boat destroyed, described as laden with narcotics.

 

Critics note no public cargo photos (due to sinkage), but US intel evidence is the basis—same as thousands of Obama-era drone strikes.

Lame attempt at misleading readers! 😅

 

Those are Trump's quotes or his sycophants relaying what Trump said! For example you introduce factcheck.org as if it were corroborating your claim. Factcheck.org doesn't claim the boat was carrying fentanyl, it only cites Trump: "Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 18, “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route. U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics."

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/10/assessing-the-facts-and-legal-questions-about-the-u-s-strikes-on-alleged-drug-boats/

 

Do you consider Trump's tweets as a reliable source? 🤣🤣🤣

 

Of course, no link to make it more difficult to check....

18 hours ago, Slowhand225 said:

They declared that group a Terrorist org. 

What group, people in boats at sea?

20 minutes ago, lou norman said:

Killing Shipwrecked Survivors is Not Just Illegal—It Endangers U.S. Servicemembers.

I agree.

 

Let them drown, or die of thirst, or get eaten by sharks, or cannibalize each other. Killing is too easy for these monsters.

Hegseth is trying to set up Adm. Bradley to be the fall guy.

16 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

That boat was a cartel go-fast vessel with 11 armed Sinaloa operatives hauling fentanyl precursors straight toward the U.S.

Any prove on that?

16 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

The “unarmed civilians” line is pure fiction.

That boat was a cartel go-fast vessel with 11 armed Sinaloa operatives hauling fentanyl precursors straight toward the U.S. It was in the exact Caribbean corridor they use to poison America with 80 000 overdose deaths a year.

Dead in the water doesn’t mean harmless; it’s still a floating $5 M drug shipment that cartel recovery teams would have scooped up and sent right back into circulation.

First strike crippled it. Second strike sank it and denied the cargo forever. That’s textbook denial of enemy assets under ROE, not “murdering survivors.”No confirmed civilians, no fishermen; just traffickers who lost the game they started.

Heroic? Absolutely. Every gram denied saves American lives.

Cry harder for the poison dealers.

That was beautifully stated. 

18 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

I agree.

 

Let them drown, or die of thirst, or get eaten by sharks, or cannibalize each other. Killing is too easy for these monsters.

During the war crimes trials following WW2 a number of Japanese naval commanders were convicted for the murder of shipwreck survivors. (Ref: Tokyo War Crimes Trials)

57 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Er, because they could be lying?

 

So just how often do prosecutors show you evidence ? I'm impressed

23 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Any prove on that?

His proof is that Trump said it! 

16 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

Every gram denied saves American lives.

 

Try to control the addicts in your country.

Hegseth has come out swinging in defense of Navy Adm. Bradley

 

To paraphase Ben Franklin, "You swing (hang) together or you swing (hang) separately."

However, but Hegseth, the Admiral, the commanding officer of Seal Team 6, and the operator who murdered the two people hanging on to the side of a boat already hit with a missile - are all guilty of war crimes.  

 

😟 "I was only following orders."

That excuse got shot down during the Nuremberg Trials, and the murder of shipwrecked sailors was specifically addressed in the Geneva Convention.  Hegseth down to the operator need to be indicted for war crimes. Murder is not Ok. Ignoring due process is not Ok. 
 

23 minutes ago, lou norman said:

During the war crimes trials following WW2 a number of Japanese naval commanders were convicted for the murder of shipwreck survivors. (Ref: Tokyo War Crimes Trials)

Which is why it was specifically included in the Geneva Convention, i.e., Second Geneva Convention of 1949 ("Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea"): Article 12, paragraph 2: “… Any attempts upon their lives, or violence to their persons, shall be strictly prohibited; in particular, they shall not be murdered or exterminated …”

The entire paragraphs 1 and 2:

“Members of the armed forces and other persons mentioned in the following Article, who are at sea and who are wounded, sick or shipwrecked, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances, it being understood that the term “shipwreck” means shipwreck from any cause and includes forced landings at sea by or from aircraft.

Such persons shall be treated humanely and cared for by the Parties to the conflict in whose power they may be, without any adverse distinction founded on sex, race, nationality, religion, political opinions or any other similar criteria. Any attempts upon their lives, or violence to their persons, shall be strictly prohibited; in particular, they shall not be murdered or exterminated, subjected to torture or to biological experiments; they shall not wilfully be left without medical assistance and care, nor shall conditions exposing them to contagion or infection be created.”

I can't wait for Trump and Hegseth to announce that the United States isn't a party to the Geneva Conventions and that they can murder anyone they da*m well please.

20 hours ago, Social Media said:

Hegseth has come out swinging in defense of Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley

 

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come out swinging in defense of Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the commander who authorised a second strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean Sea — a decision now stirring political noise but earning full-throated backing from the Pentagon’s top man.

 

Hegseth lit up social media on Monday, declaring the embattled admiral “an American hero, a true professional” and stressing he has Bradley’s “100% support.” The unusually sharp intervention signals the Pentagon’s refusal to let its front-line commanders be hung out to dry amid mounting scrutiny over the September 2 operation.

 

According to officials, the boarding team had already disabled the vessel once, but the situation escalated, leading Bradley to order a second strike to ensure the threat was neutralised. Critics have questioned whether the follow-up shot was proportionate. Those inside the Navy say it was textbook procedure in a highly volatile, drug-smuggling corridor where hesitation can get sailors killed.

 

Hegseth’s defence sends a message: this administration will not allow Monday-morning quarterbacks to second-guess battlefield decisions from thousands of miles away. Military insiders say Bradley is known for being calm under pressure — a commander who doesn’t make split-second calls lightly.

 

The incident is now undergoing routine review, but officials stress there is no evidence of misconduct, and early indicators suggest the admiral acted within established rules of engagement.

 

While politicians and pundits try to turn the affair into another flashpoint, Hegseth is making clear he won’t tolerate a media circus at the expense of operational integrity. If anything, the Pentagon’s response has only amplified the message: Bradley acted decisively, lawfully, and in defense of his sailors.

Key Takeaways

• Hegseth publicly defends Adm. Frank Bradley as an “American hero.”

• The admiral ordered a second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat on Sept. 2.

• Pentagon says early assessments show no misconduct and firm rules-of-engagement compliance.

 

SOURCE THE HILL

 

Coming out swinging in defense, don't think so: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/trump-and-hegseth-distance-themselves-from-follow-on-strike-on-suspected-drug-boat

This story is going to have some teeth internationally.  Stand by!

28 minutes ago, connda said:

 they can murder anyone they da*m well please.

They just did: Trump says any country trafficking drugs into US could be attacked | Reuters