Overview
- At the Reagan National Defense Forum, the defense secretary said the maritime campaign is lawful, vowed to keep targeting alleged traffickers tied to designated terrorist groups, and compared the effort to post‑9/11 counterterrorism.
- He reiterated that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley had authority to order the Sept. 2 follow‑up strike, as lawmakers said Bradley told them he received no illegal “no quarter” directive.
- NBC reported that Bradley told Congress Hegseth ordered lethal action against all 11 men on a target list, which differs from a blanket kill‑everyone command and remains disputed in public accounts.
- After viewing classified footage, Democrats said the second strike may be illegal, with Sen. Tammy Duckworth calling it a war crime, while Republicans such as Sen. Tom Cotton defended the strikes as lawful under presidential authority.
- The Pentagon counts roughly 22 vessel strikes with more than 80 people killed, and scrutiny has intensified after an inspector general report found Hegseth improperly shared sensitive information on Signal.