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America is now consumed by allegations that, in early September, US forces attacked a suspected drug-trafficking ship in the Caribbean – and then struck again to kill any survivors. Some in the media, led by the Washington Post, suggested that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a “Global Kill” and that the Trump administration may have committed war crimes.
If true, such an act would violate the law of armed conflict – precisely the prohibition against them Horse de Combat (except war). But as of today, there is nothing close to the evidence that explains it. We deal with anonymous sources, emerging accounts, and powerful political motives.
And from where I live – as someone who has done a systematic investigation of the top leaders of the Pentagon, they spent a quarter of a century of military personnel in uniform and contractors, and they have found some corners that are investigating under pressure do not pass the basic test of tampering.
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Allegations vs. The facts: conflicting narratives in the media
The Washington Post says two unnamed officials said Hegseth gave the verbal order in September.
The Washington Post says that two unnamed officials told them that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave Septe in September. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
The post’s headline read: “Hegsseth Order on First Caribbean cruise strike, officials say: kill them all.”
But the New York Times’ reporting contradicts this. According to five officials identified in a separate investigation, Hegseth did not stop the killing of survivors, did not issue orders on what to do if the first strike failed and did not direct the next strike after receiving the DRONE specimens.
Hegseth Backs ‘Decisions to Fight Special Debates’ in Deadly Caribbean Division Ahead of Classified Difining
This is not a small discrepancy. They represent two completely different realities:
Another is suspected of being a deliberate war killer directed at Washington.
The other describes the formal deployment of a Maritime Implicitation Mission with a second strike authorized by the acting commander.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the Trump Administration’s strikes on suspected drug networks in the Caribbean Sea. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
Currently, we don’t have enough evidence to support the past – only political pressure to believe the worst.
Why I doubt it: Pentagon Reality vs. Media Fantasy
For 25 years, I served at the Pentagon, including in investigative roles for some of the highest-ranking military leaders. I participated in critical reviews, intelligence briefings, and decision-making sessions involving four-star, service secretaries and defense officials.
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Let me be clear: I have never – will – hear – a senior Pentagon leader give an order that sounds as good as what some media outlets are claiming. Not in wartime. Not in trouble. Not behind closed doors. Not always.
The reason is simple. Every senior military leader and citizen knows:
Orders must be officially approved.
All actions are reviewed by lawyers.
Guiding decisions are well-researched.
Most importantly, critical meetings where life and death decisions are made – especially those involving the secretary of war – are held in the tank, the Pentagon’s most secure conference room. It is deep in a restricted section of the building, inaccessible even to most military personnel, let alone journalists.
Mark Kelly was pressed on whether he would refuse orders once he was in uniform
The idea that journalists have accurate second-hand accounts of verbal killing orders issued from inside the tank, relayed through anonymous political sources months later, should make any serious observer. This is not how the Pentagon works. That’s how political narratives work.
The discourse of war crimes is not about war – it is about politics
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-ARIZ., is now publicly suggesting that the reported strike would have constituted a war crime. Asked if the strike alleged by survivors “constituted a war crime,” Kelly replied, “It looks like,“According to Colorado politics.
Kelly has a right to demand answers – to oversee the work of Congress. But raising the specter of a war before the facts have been established is not done in an unrepentant and politically correct manner. It risks painting US service members as murderers before the investigation even begins.
And it ignores the broader legal and operational context, the President, under Article II, has a natural position to protect the United States – including separatist ships that carry deadly cargo like thousands of Americans every year.
Johnson Points to Obama-Era Drone Repudiation as Congress Investigates Deadly Caribbean Strike
Authorities say these narco-trafficking vessels – fishing boats – are tools of dynamic criminal and terrorist networks responsible for the deaths of many people in the United States. That does not excuse illegal action. But it explains the logic of the operation: stop the threat before it reaches American shores.
It risks turning all strikes into alleged war crimes
If we continue down this road – where every high-risk restriction is treated as a possibility, every mirror strike becomes a political scandal, and every unknown source is the Gospel – we will imitate the power of the amemazali to do with restriction.
Hegseth defends killings against suspected drug traffickers: ‘Integrated terrorists, we kill’
The management was skeptical. Lawyers will act as operators. The enemy will exploit our weakness. And Servicemembers will be left wondering if testing the country will one day put them at the center of a political storm.
Oversight is important. Being sued for negligence is not.
Spec Ops Chief orders deadly Caribbean strike in ‘self-defense’ over Hegseth’s sign-off, White House says
What America needs now: Facts, not rage
Before any judgment is given, Congress and the Pentagon must:
* Release full, non-ISR strike images.
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* Publish rules of engagement effective September 2.
* Identify who issued the second strike authority.
* Conduct general, surface research within the military temple.
Until then, we must resist the urge to believe in a rehabilitated version of events.
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As someone who spent decades inside the highest decision-making rooms in the Pentagon, I can tell you the caricatures of the Media Offered Kill Kill Elders should NOT reflect reality. It shows politics.
And political accusations of war crimes are not just wrong – they are dangerous.
Click here to read more from Robert Maginnis
