Leader of US attack in Caribbean believed survivors were continuing drug run

The U.S. military commander involved in a deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean is expected to tell lawmakers Thursday that a follow-up attack was ordered against two survivors because he believed they were attempting to continue their drug run, a report said. 

The version of events that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley plans to describe to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing would push back on claims from some legal experts that the killing of the two survivors in the second strike could have amounted to a war crime, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper, citing two defense officials, reported that Bradley will say that he and his legal adviser concluded that the two survivors were attempting to press forward with their drug run, making them and their already-damaged boat a legitimate target for a follow-up attack. 

The officials added that Bradley, as part of his decision, considered that “enemy” boats were nearby and the survivors were believed to be communicating by radio with others in their drug smuggling network.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, right. Hegseth wrote on X that “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support,” and, “I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.” (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images; USSOCOM)

The Sept. 2 attack was the Trump administration’s first use of military force against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean and the only one in which survivors are known to have been targeted and killed in a follow-up operation, according to the Journal. 

The defense officials told the newspaper that the Coast Guard rescued two survivors of another strike in mid-October on a submersible because they were deemed unable to fight. 

The White House said Monday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth authorized the second strike, but Bradley ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command.

Video footage shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social showed the suspected drug vessel shortly before it was destroyed on Sept. 2, 2025.  (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

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“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,” Hegseth wrote on X on Monday night. 

A U.S. military drone strike is seen targeting a suspected drug-carrying submersible in the Caribbean. (Credit: President Donald Trump via Truth Social)

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“Adm. Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth added during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. 

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.