{"id":3835,"date":"2025-12-05T16:11:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/?p=3835"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:11:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:11:01","slug":"exclusive-survivors-clinging-to-capsized-boat-didnt-radio-for-backup-admiral-overseeing-double-tap-strike-tells-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/?p=3835","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Survivors clinging to capsized boat didn\u2019t radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. News related to events and topics or subjects or issues:<\/strong>
In early September, two men were killed while clinging to their capsized boat during a secondary U.S. military strike targeting a suspected drug vessel. The initial strike had already killed nine people and split the boat in half, believed to be carrying cocaine. Top military official Adm. Frank \u201cMitch\u201d Bradley, who oversaw the operation as head of Joint Special Operations Command, admitted in congressional briefings that the two survivors did not have radios or any communications devices. The military ultimately ordered a second strike on the capsized vessel, killing the survivors, reasoning that part of the boat still floated because it contained cocaine and could potentially allow them to continue trafficking drugs. Lawmakers and Pentagon officials confirmed that a total of four missiles were used in the two strikes, with bipartisan scrutiny emerging over whether the action constituted a war crime against shipwrecked individuals.<\/p>\n

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2. Causes of events and topics or subjects or issues:<\/strong>
The secondary strike was justified by military officials on the grounds that the survivors could have theoretically continued their drug trafficking if rescued. Defense officials initially claimed that the men were radioing for help, suggesting ongoing hostile intent, but Adm. Bradley later clarified that the survivors were incapable of making distress calls. The situation sparked controversy as interpretations of the video differed widely among lawmakers. Some, like Sen. Tom Cotton, argued the men were not incapacitated and could continue their mission, while others, such as Rep. Jim Himes, emphasized that the men were unarmed, without tools, and clinging to a wrecked boat, making the second strike ethically troubling. Conflicting accounts from the Trump administration, including statements from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House, further contributed to confusion about the legality and orders related to the strike.<\/p>\n

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3. Lessons to be learned from events and topics or subjects or issues:<\/strong>
The strike highlights the ethical and legal complexities of military operations targeting suspected criminal actors at sea. It raises questions about the proportionality of force, the protection of shipwrecked individuals under international law, and the need for clear and transparent command structures. The incident also underscores the importance of consistent communication and accountability in military campaigns, as shifting narratives from officials can erode trust and complicate congressional oversight. Lawmakers and legal experts continue to debate the legitimacy of targeting vessels with narcotics traffickers and the broader implications for U.S. military conduct and adherence to the law of war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. News related to events and topics or subjects or issues:In early September, two men were killed while clinging to their capsized boat during a secondary U.S. military strike targeting a suspected drug vessel. The initial strike had already killed nine people and split the boat in half, believed to be carrying cocaine. Top military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-banner","category-news","category-war"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3837,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835\/revisions\/3837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientifictelevision.com\/america\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}