Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who oversaw a military strike on September 2 against a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea, informed lawmakers that all 11 individuals aboard were included on a list of military targets. This list was compiled by military and intelligence officials who identified these individuals as narco-terrorists eligible for lethal action. Reports indicate that U.S. intelligence did not confirm that the drugs on the vessel were destined for the United States, noting instead that the ship was en route to Suriname in South America.

During a closed-door briefing, Bradley stated that the vessel was intended to rendezvous with a larger boat headed to Suriname. He acknowledged that there was a potential risk that the drugs could eventually reach the U.S. The Pentagon has not provided comments regarding these developments.

The briefing follows scrutiny of the September attack, particularly after a report from The Washington Post claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered Bradley to "kill everybody" on the vessel. Following the initial strike, when two survivors were observed, Bradley reportedly ordered a second strike to fulfill the earlier directive. The Pentagon has disputed this narrative, labeling it as "completely false."

Concerns have been raised by some lawmakers and former military officials regarding the potential violation of international law in these strikes. The White House has maintained that the actions taken were legal, with Hegseth supporting Bradley's decisions. Hegseth stated that he did not witness the survivors after the first strike and expressed that he would have made the same decision as Bradley.

During the briefing, Bradley explained that the defense secretary had instructed him to eliminate the individuals on the approved target list, destroy the drugs, and sink the vessel. He justified the second strike by stating that the drugs had not been destroyed, the survivors had not surrendered, and they were not visibly injured. Although the second strike reportedly killed the two survivors, it did not sink the boat, prompting Bradley to order additional strikes. When questioned about whether he received a "no quarter order," which would be illegal, Bradley denied having received such an order and asserted that he would not have complied with it if it had been given.