Congressional leaders have launched a rare bipartisan investigation into allegations that former Acting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed U.S. forces to carry out what national-security lawyers say could constitute war crimes during a September maritime strike in the Caribbean. The inquiry, announced by the House Armed Services Committee and backed by Senate counterparts, centers on claims first reported by The Washington Post that SEAL Team 6 executed a second strike on survivors clinging to debris following an initial missile attack on a suspected narcotics vessel.
The allegations focus on a Sept. 2, 2025 operation overseen by Adm. Frank M. Bradley, who was said to be acting on Hegseth's instructions. According to individuals cited by The Post, Bradley issued a follow-up strike order after learning two people remained alive after the first hit. The sources said the action complied with Hegseth's direction to "kill everybody," including defenseless survivors attempting to stay afloat.
The House Armed Services Committee confirmed it intends to gather operational records, legal guidance, and intelligence documents surrounding the mission. The Senate Armed Services Committee is pursuing a parallel review, with its leaders, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, issuing a joint statement calling for "vigorous oversight" to determine the facts. Lawmakers in both chambers emphasized the unusual cross-party coordination as evidence of the seriousness of the claims.
The mission under scrutiny began when U.S. surveillance aircraft tracked a small vessel believed to be carrying narcotics through Caribbean waters. U.S. analysts grew confident that the 11-person crew was linked to smuggling networks, prompting a missile strike that destroyed the boat. Two survivors remained in the water after the initial explosion, according to The Post, and were killed in the subsequent strike allegedly ordered to ensure no one remained alive.
Legal scholars have warned that, if substantiated, the follow-up strike would violate prohibitions against "no quarter," which bars killing individuals who are incapacitated, attempting to surrender, or otherwise incapable of posing an immediate threat. The director of Georgetown University's national security law program told The Post that the order "would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime."
Internal data cited in the report indicates the U.S. military has conducted at least 22 maritime strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific this year, resulting in more than 80 deaths. The scope of the operations has drawn growing scrutiny from human-rights organizations that argue counter-narcotics missions have drifted into the realm of undeclared armed conflict.
Hegseth publicly rejected the allegations in a social-media post, dismissing The Post's report as "fake news." He argued that the missions were "lethal, kinetic strikes" targeting "narco-terrorists" and insisted the operations were lawful under U.S. and international standards. He added that the actions were reviewed and approved "by military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command."
Pentagon officials have disputed the Post report, characterizing its account as "completely false" and declining to provide additional details while the matter remains under review. Defense-law specialists caution that if investigators confirm that incapacitated survivors were intentionally targeted, individuals involved could face criminal prosecution under both domestic and international law.
The allegations have also triggered responses abroad. Several governments have condemned the reported strikes and have urged multilateral bodies to pursue independent inquiries. Advocacy groups warn that the episode risks eroding norms governing the use of force at sea and could set precedent for aggressive interpretations of counter-narcotics authorities.
