Executive Summary
Since September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted 26+ strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 99 people. The most controversial incident—a September 2 "double-tap" strike that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage—has sparked bipartisan outrage and accusations of potential war crimes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refuses to publicly release the full video.
The September 2 "Double-Tap" Strike
On September 2, 2025, the U.S. military conducted four separate strikes on a single vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea:
The "Kill Order" Allegation
In November 2025, The Washington Post reported that two anonymous sources said Defense Secretary Hegseth gave a verbal order to SEAL Team Six to leave no survivors. Admiral Frank Bradley denies receiving such an order. Senator Tom Cotton stated: "Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all."
The Legal Questions
Is This a War Crime?
Legal experts are divided, but many argue the strikes violate both domestic and international law:
"The United States is not currently operating in a context of armed conflict in its strikes in the Caribbean. For that reason, this is not a context in which war crimes apply... Instead, all of the strikes qualify as murder in violation of domestic criminal law, and extrajudicial killings in violation of international human rights law."
— Tom Dannenbaum, Stanford Law Professor
Pentagon's Own Manual
The Pentagon's Law of War Manual explicitly states that it is illegal to fire on shipwrecked people. It defines shipwrecked individuals as people "in need of assistance and care" who "must refrain from any hostile act."
Administration's Defense
The White House argues the second strike was "still in compliance with the laws of armed conflict." Officials claim the survivors were potentially in communication with other boats and were salvaging drugs—making them "still in the fight" and valid targets.
The Suppressed Video
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the Pentagon will not release the full, unedited video of the September 2 strike to the public, calling it "top secret."
"The American public ought to see it. I think shooting unarmed people floundering in the water, clinging to wreckage, is not who we are as a people."
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
"I am deeply disturbed by what I saw this morning. This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration's military activities."
— Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Top Democrat on Senate Armed Services
Lawmakers viewed the classified video in closed-door briefings. According to Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, the video shows survivors as "basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat."
The Destination Question
Boat Was Not Heading to U.S.
The administration justified the strike by claiming the boat was carrying drugs bound for the United States. However, according to TIME, Admiral Bradley briefed lawmakers that the boat was actually heading to Suriname, where it planned to transfer drugs to a larger vessel—not directly to the U.S.
Open Questions
The September 2 "double-tap" strike raises serious questions that remain unanswered:
- Was a "kill order" given? The Washington Post's sources say yes; Admiral Bradley says no.
- Were the survivors valid targets? Legal experts argue shipwrecked individuals cannot be targeted under the Laws of War.
- Why won't the Pentagon release the full video? Bipartisan lawmakers are calling for transparency.
- Is this campaign legal at all? Stanford Law experts say all strikes may constitute murder under domestic law.
Bipartisan congressional investigations are ongoing. With 99+ deaths across 26 strikes and counting, this campaign represents one of the most controversial U.S. military operations in recent history.