Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited the "fog of war" as he defended a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea, where multiple lives were reportedly lost.
In a cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said that survivors could not be seen after the initial explosion, which led to him ordering a second hit. "This is called the fog of war," he explained, suggesting that it was difficult to assess the situation in real-time.
The strike has been criticized for violating peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict, with several legal experts stating that striking survivors of a sunken ship would be illegal according to Pentagon manuals on the subject. However, Hegseth claimed that Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley made the right decision and had complete authority to order the second strike.
US President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the incident, saying he did not know anything about it and relied on Hegseth's information. Trump described Admiral Bradley as an "extraordinary person," who would take out boats if necessary and potentially attack land as well.
The White House maintained that Bradley acted within his authority and the law when ordering the second strike, while Hegseth expressed support for Bradley's combat decisions.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, with lawmakers expected to provide a classified briefing on Thursday.
In a cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said that survivors could not be seen after the initial explosion, which led to him ordering a second hit. "This is called the fog of war," he explained, suggesting that it was difficult to assess the situation in real-time.
The strike has been criticized for violating peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict, with several legal experts stating that striking survivors of a sunken ship would be illegal according to Pentagon manuals on the subject. However, Hegseth claimed that Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley made the right decision and had complete authority to order the second strike.
US President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the incident, saying he did not know anything about it and relied on Hegseth's information. Trump described Admiral Bradley as an "extraordinary person," who would take out boats if necessary and potentially attack land as well.
The White House maintained that Bradley acted within his authority and the law when ordering the second strike, while Hegseth expressed support for Bradley's combat decisions.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, with lawmakers expected to provide a classified briefing on Thursday.
. A follow-up strike that led to multiple lives lost just doesn't seem right to me... I mean, can't we try to get to the bottom of things before taking any more action? 
And what's with this "fog of war" thingy? It sounds like a legit excuse for poor decision making 
. The fact that survivors couldn't be seen after the initial explosion makes me think there might have been some real-time mistakes made... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the investigation turns out 
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. The "fog of war" excuse is just a fancy way of saying they didn't know what was going on, and they made a mistake. I don't think it's okay to just blow up survivors who can't even swim away in time 
. It's like we're more concerned with following rules than saving lives. And what about accountability? If the Pentagon manuals say otherwise, why are they trying to cover it up? 
This whole thing is just a mess...
. I mean, if survivors can't be seen after the explosion, that's not exactly a chaotic situation 
. And come on, ordering another strike without being sure who's still alive? That's just reckless 
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The fact that he's calling Admiral Bradley an "extraordinary person" without even knowing the details is pretty concerning 
. I hope they get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable for their actions 
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! LIKE, THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE FOR KILLING PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T EVEN A THREAT TO THEM. IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOT OF RUSHING INTO THINGS WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES. AND WHAT'S WITH THE PENTAGON MANUALS SAYING IT'S Illegal TO STRIKE SURVIVORS? THAT SEEMS REALLY CLEAR-cut. I GUESS WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED 
, especially when they're claiming it was all part of the "fog of war" 
And now Trump is just distancing himself from the whole thing like he didn't know anything about it 
.
We've got drones and satellites that can spot tiny ships from miles away. What's the Pentagon waiting for? 
And another thing, what's with Admiral Bradley's "I'd attack land if necessary" comment? 
That's not even a legitimate military strategy – sounds like something out of a bad action movie. 
. It's sad that things got out of hand and multiple lives were affected 
. I feel bad for the familes of the people who didn't survive 
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. It seems like they're not being honest about what really happened 
. I hope there's a thorough investigation and someone is held accountable for their actions 
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. Who decides these laws, and how do they get enforced? 
. And now he's praising Admiral Bradley like he's some kind of hero? Give me a break 
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. Its like they lost all human feeling, just saying theres lives lost and then another bomb goes off 
Like, dude, come on... a "fog of war" excuse for taking out survivors of a shipwreck? 
That's just ridiculous. I mean, even I could see that if I was flying a drone over the Caribbean Sea (not that I'm saying I should be flying a drone). It's not like we're talking about a battlefield here, it's civilians who got caught in the crossfire. And what's with Admiral Bradley being this "extraordinary person" who can just take out boats and potentially attack land? 
Does that sound like someone who actually has to follow orders or listen to his superiors? I guess when you're in charge, you can just make up your own rules... until someone tells you otherwise. Anyway, sounds like there's gonna be some serious accountability for this one, so let's see how it all plays out 
. The whole "fog of war" thing sounds like just another fancy way of saying "we're not telling the truth" 
. One thing's for sure - we need more answers from our leaders about how this went down! 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... I mean, I get what they're saying about the "fog of war" and all that, but come on! Multiple lives lost just because it's hard to see who's still alive? That's not a reason to drop more bombs. 