“The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” said Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. The Washington Post had reported that Bradley ordered the follow-on attack on the survivors. At the time of the attack, Bradley was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, overseeing coordinated operations between the military’s elite special operations units out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina. About a month after the strike, he was promoted to commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. Republican lawmakers who are close to Trump have largely stood by Hegseth and the administration’s decision to conduct the strikes.
