HEGSETH’S DEFENSE: I SAW NOTHING, I KNEW NOTHING, I WASN’T EVEN THERE. BUT I SUPPORT MY COMMANDER 100%: Just to be crystal clear, those words are not a direct quote, but they sum up what War Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday in response to the swirling controversy surrounding the reports that a second strike on a suspected drug boat on Sept. 2 may have violated the law of war by killing survivors in the water.
In his first explanation of the sequence events that day, Hegseth said that — while he was in the command center in Fort Bragg in North Carolina and gave the initial order to destroy the boat with 11 suspected drug runners on board — he left after the first missile hit and didn’t find out until later about subsequent strikes that were carried out to fulfill his alleged directive to “kill everybody.”
Keep in mind this was a full month before Trump sent a confidential memo to Congress declaring the U.S. to be in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels designated as “terrorist organizations,” and authorizing “operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict.”
At a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Hegseth gave this account of the opening salvo in a campaign that so far has killed 82 “narco-terrorists” in 21 strikes:
“Now, the first couple of strikes, as you would, as any leader would want, you want to own that responsibility. So, I said, I’m going to be the one to make the call after getting all the information and make sure it’s the right strike,” Hegseth said. “I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we got a lot of things to do. So, I didn’t stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs. So, I moved on to my next meeting.”
Hegseth said he never ordered a second strike to kill survivors, and in fact wasn’t aware there were any survivors. “A couple of hours later, I learned that the commander had made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. He sunk the boat, sunk the boat and eliminated the threat,” Hegseth said, “which he had the complete authority to do.”
It was, he said, absolutely “the right call.”
HEGSETH DIDN’T ‘STICK AROUND’ TO SEE BRADLEY CARRY OUT SECOND BOAT STRIKE ON SURVIVORS
THE PRESS DOESN’T ‘UNDERSTAND THE FOG OF WAR’: Hegseth worked up a healthy head of outrage as he seemed once again to be channeling the fictional Col. Nathan Jessup from the classic scene in A Few Good Men, railing against lawmakers and reporters who he portrayed as clueless about military culture.
“I did not personally see survivors, … because the thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire and smoke, you can’t see anything. You got digital. This is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don’t understand.”
“The deliberative process, the detail, the rigorous, the intel, the legal, the evidence-based way that we’re able to, with sources and methods that we can’t reveal here, make sure that every one of those drug boats is tied to a designated terrorist organization. We know who’s on it, what they’re doing, what they’re carrying,” Hegseth said. “All these white bales are not Christmas gifts from Santa. This is drugs running on four-meter motor fast boats or submarines that we’ve also struck.”
“You sit in your air-conditioned offices or up on Capitol Hill, and you nitpick, and you plant fake stories in the Washington Post about ‘kill everybody.’ Phrases on anonymous sources not based in anything, not based in any truth at all. And then you want to throw really irresponsible terms about American heroes, about the judgment that they made.”
RAND PAUL SAYS HEGSETH IS EITHER ‘LYING’ ABOUT BOAT STRIKE OR ‘INCOMPETENT’
AWAITING BRADY’S EXPLANATION: The man who may have the answers that could put the controversy to rest is Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, head of the Joint Special Operations Command, who is due to talk to lawmakers on Capitol Hill behind closed doors this week.
We don’t know what Bradley will say, but it is a safe bet he won’t be confessing to any war crimes. Instead, the highly respected four-star officer is expected to lay out the rationale for the strikes that day. We have some idea of his thinking from the initial reporting in the Washington Post story, which first brought the incident to light.
“Bradley told people on the secure conference call that the survivors were still legitimate targets because they could theoretically call other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo,” the Post said, citing two sources. “In briefing materials provided to the White House, JSOC reported that the ‘double-tap,’ or follow-on strike, was intended to sink the boat and remove a navigation hazard to other vessels — not to kill survivors,” according to another person who saw the report.
“The boat in the first strike was hit a total of four times, twice to kill the crew and twice more to sink it,” four people familiar with the operation told the Post. “In subsequent strikes on alleged traffickers that left no survivors, the U.S. military has also fired multiple missiles to remove boats from the waterways, several people familiar with the matter said,” the publication noted.
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
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HAPPENING TODAY — WITKOFF RETURNS EMPTY-HANDED: U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for five hours in a marathon session Tuesday, but ultimately the Russian president rejected the U.S. peace plan proposal negotiated with Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to Putin, told reporters today the meeting was “rather useful, constructive, rather substantive,” but indicated that the issue of territory that Russia claims is a major sticking point. “So far, a compromise hasn’t been found” on Putin’s demand that Ukraine cede areas of the eastern Donbas region that Russia has been unable to capture. Until that issue is resolved, there can be no resolution to the crisis,” Ushakov said.
“Ushakov stated that the parties did not discuss ‘specific wording or specific proposals’ but discussed the ‘essence’ of the documents that the United States ‘submitted to Moscow some time ago,’” according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. Ushakov stated that the U.S. and Russian delegations agreed not to disclose the substance of the talks.
WITKOFF AND KUSHNER LEAVE KREMLIN AFTER NEARLY FIVE HOURS OF NEGOTIATION WITH PUTIN
RUBIO: ‘ONLY PUTIN CAN END THIS WAR:’ In an appearance Tuesday night on Sean Hannity’s Fox program, Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio laid the blame for the current impasse on Putin, noting that the Russian leader seems intent on achieving all of his demands, no matter what the cost in lives or to his economy.
“Putin, a couple weeks ago said, it may take long — we are going to achieve our objectives. It may cost more and take longer than we want it to, but we will get it done. And so I actually think that’s their mentality,” Rubio told Hannity. “Sadly, the Russians have shown their willingness to sacrifice 7,000 soldiers a week in an effort to achieve this.”
A new analysis from British Intelligence estimates that Russia has lost 382,000 killed and wounded troops on the battlefield so far this year, and 1.168 million troops since the start of the war, with an average daily casualty rate of 1,033 in November.
“In terms of the president saying it’s the easiest conflict [to solve], I think what he’s really saying is, it’s the most illogical war. It’s the one you logically would conclude you should end, because no one’s really winning that war in the traditional sense of winning,” Rubio said. “What they’re literally fighting over now is about a 30-to-50-kilometer space in the 20% of the Donetsk region that remains.”
“Some of these people have this notion that our policy should be ‘just continue to fund Ukraine in unlimited amounts for as long as the war takes.’ That’s not realistic. That’s not reality. And that’s not going to happen,” Rubio said. “We can’t sustain the scale and scope of it. And I also don’t think it’s realistic for Russia to continue this war for four or five years.”
“We have tried to bring both sides together and see what proposals we could come up with that both sides could live with. We’re going to do everything we can to make it work,” Rubio said. “I think we have made some progress. We have gotten closer. But we’re still not there. We’re still not close enough, but that could change. I hope it changes.”
“Ultimately, the decisions have to be made, in the case of Russia by Putin alone, not his advisers,” Rubio concluded. “Only Putin can end this war on the Russian side.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Hegseth didn’t ‘stick around’ to see Bradley carry out second boat strike on survivors
Washington Examiner: Trump and Hegseth push back on ‘war crime’ claims over Venezuela second strike
Washington Examiner: Rand Paul says Hegseth is either ‘lying’ about boat strike or ‘incompetent’
Washington Examiner: Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?
Washington Examiner: Witkoff and Kushner leave Kremlin after nearly five hours of negotiation with Putin
Washington Examiner: Pope Leo says he’s speaking with Trump and Netanyahu about Middle East peace plan
Washington Examiner: Ahead of holidays, Noem advises Trump to impose full travel ban
Washington Examiner: Homan confirms ICE surge coming to Twin Cities following Somali fraud investigation
Washington Examiner: Biden administration did not vet or run Lakanwal’s name through databases in 2021
Washington Examiner: Israel open to Syria deal but demands ‘demilitarized buffer zone’
Wall Street Journal: Hegseth’s Decadeslong Quest to Rewrite the Rules of Engagement
AP: Trump Says National Guard Will Be Sent to New Orleans
New York Times: Immigration Officials Target Afghans for Deportation in Wake of D.C. Shooting
Washington Post: Trump rails against Somali migrants: ‘I don’t want them in our country’
AP: Europeans accuse Putin of faking interest in peace after talks with US envoys
AP: Putin’s visit highlights Indian imports of discounted Russian oil in the face of US sanctions
NBC News: Pentagon inspector general investigation into ‘Signalgate’ is complete
AP: Some friendly, some on-the-news questions at first briefing for new Pentagon press corps
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF’s ‘Re-Optimization’: Top Leaders Rule on What’s In, What’s Out
Breaking Defense: MDA Picks over 1,000 Initial Winners for Golden Dome Contracting Vehicle
DefenseScoop: Pentagon Unveils Drone Dominance Program with ‘Gauntlets’ to Rapidly Expand Its Small UAS Arsenal
The War Zone: Analyzing North Korea’s New Air-Launched Guided Weapons
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What the Air Force Transport Fleet Needs to Meet Surging Demand
Defense One: NSA Has 2,000 Fewer People Now, Meeting Trump-Admin Goal
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Weighs Range Upgrades to Support Reusable Rockets
Air & Space Forces Magazine: WGU-59 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II
National Defense Magazine: Pentagon Acquisition Reform Is About Trade-Offs
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 3
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Korea Foundation ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum, focusing on “denuclearization, U.S.-Korea bilateral economic relations and regional relations with China, Japan and Russia,” with South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun; former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, policymaker in residence at the University of Michigan Weiser Diplomacy Center; and former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, chairman and co-founder, Asia Group, https://www.csis.org/events/rok-us-strategic-forum-2025
10 a.m. 253 Russell — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on the nominations of Jared Isaacman to be administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Steven Haines to be an assistant Commerce secretary for industry and analysis http://commerce.senate.gov
10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “The dramatic transformation occurring within the National Reconnaissance Office,” with National Reconnaissance Office Deputy Director Christopher Povak; and Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, explorer chair at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/maj-gen-chris-povak/
2 p.m. 138 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing: “The Abduction of Ukrainian Children by the Russian Federation,” with testimony from Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna; Mykola Kuleba of Save Ukraine; Maksym Maksymov of Bring Kids Back; Kateryna Rashevska of the Regional Center for Human Rights; and Nathaniel Raymond, Humanitarian Research Lab executive director at the Yale School of Public Health http://appropriations.senate.gov
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “Israel Update: Trump’s Plan – Breakthrough or Breakdown,” with Aaron David Miller, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Madeleine Brand, host of the daily news and culture show “Press Play” https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 4
8 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.— Association of the U.S. Army event: “The Foundations of Holistic Health and Fitness,” with Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus; and Lt. Gen. Brian Eifler, deputy chief of staff, G-1 at the Army https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/foundations-of-holistic-health-and-fitness
11 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation in-person discussion: “A New American Statecraft for Winning the New Cold War,” with Jeff Smith, director, Heritage Asian Studies Center; and Brent Sadler, senior research fellow, Heritage Center for National Security https://www.heritage.org/china/event/new-american-statecraft
11 a.m. — McCain Institute virtual book discussion: “Autocracy Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World,” with author Anne Applebaum, journalist and historian; and Evelyn Farkas, executive director, McCain Institute https://www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/events/authors-insights
12 p.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center Center in-person and virtual discussion: “Enduring Hostility: A Book Talk on Why the U.S. and Iran Remain Adversaries,” with distinguished fellow Barbara Slavin, author Dalia Dassa Kaye, and veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker https://www.stimson.org/event/enduring-hostility-a-book-talk
2 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Preparing NATO for the Challenges of Tomorrow,” with Italian Air Force Gen. Aurelio Colagrande, deputy supreme allied commander transformation for NATO; and Michael Andersson, head of strategic partnerships and international affairs at Saab, Inc. and board director at the Atlantic Council https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/general-aurelio-colagrande
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 5
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Hollywood vs. Reality: Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Oppenheimer,” with Adam Lowther, NIDS vice president of research; and Peter Huessy, NIDS senior fellow https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/hollywood-vs-reality-nuclear-deterrence
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 10
12:30 p.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group lunch and discussion with Benedetta Berti, NATO parliamentary assembly secretary-general RSVP: [email protected].
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 12
10:30 a.m. Doral, Florida — Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey relinquishes his duties as commander of U.S. Southern Command to Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan L. Pettus at the command’s headquarters. Holsey will retire after more than 37 years of service in the U.S. Navy.
