Hegseth Defends Boat Strike, Cites 'Fog of War'

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defended the secondary strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, citing the "fog of war" as reason for his not seeing any survivors in the water when the strike was ordered and launched. Hegseth's comments came during a cabinet meeting hosted by President Trump the day after the administration insisted the strike, which it says was ordered by Navy Vice Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, was lawful, the AP reports.

• Asked if he supported the second strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea in September, Trump said he "didn't know anything" and "still haven't gotten a lot of information because I rely on Pete," referencing Hegseth.

• The defense secretary, who has said he watched the strike live as it happened, said next that he did not see that there were survivors in the water when the second strike was ordered and launched. "I did not personally see survivors," Hegseth said of the first strike, per the BBC. "That thing was on fire and it exploded," he said. "You can't see anything. This is called the fog of war."
• Hegseth also said he "didn't stick around" for the remainder of the mission following the first strike, and said the admiral in charge had "made the right call" in ordering it, which he "had complete authority to do."
• Trump defended his administration's strikes on boats off South America and said the US "will start doing strikes on land, too," the New York Times reports. "It's much easier, and we know the routes they take," he said. "We know everything about them. We know where they live." The president said any country trafficking illegal drugs into the US is "subject to attack" and suggested Colombia could be a target, Reuters reports.