In a week marked by mounting controversy and political tension, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth finds himself at the heart of Washington’s most explosive crisis. Two overlapping scandals—allegations of war crimes from a controversial Caribbean anti-drug campaign and a damning inspector general report on mishandled intelligence—have put both Hegseth’s leadership and the Trump administration’s military strategies under intense scrutiny.
At the center of the storm are a series of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, a campaign that has resulted in at least 87 deaths across 22 attacks since September 2025, according to multiple sources including The Guardian and NPR. The Trump administration has justified these operations as essential to countering the deadly fentanyl trade, with President Trump himself claiming each destroyed vessel saves 25,000 American lives. However, as The Guardian and NPR both note, fact-checkers and policy experts have called this figure implausible, pointing out that most fentanyl enters the U.S. overland from Mexico rather than by sea from Venezuela or Colombia.
Controversy erupted further after reports, first detailed by The Washington Post and discussed in NPR’s coverage, revealed that a September 2 strike was followed by a so-called "double-tap" attack—deliberately targeting two survivors clinging to the wreckage. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, described the unreleased video of the incident as “beyond chilling,” telling NPR, “Individuals that were clearly—in my mind, at least—out of the fight, grasping on to the portion of the boat that was still floating...I don't know any reasonable person that would make the judgment that these were still active combatants.”
Hegseth initially dismissed these reports as fabrications but later confirmed the basic facts, citing the “fog of war.” Yet, the chain of command and the precise authorization for the follow-up strike remain muddled. While Hegseth denied giving a direct order to “kill everybody,” as some accounts allege, he did tell a cabinet meeting—according to The Guardian—that the commander, Admiral Frank Bradley, “sunk the boat and eliminated the threat.” Hegseth added that while he “watched that first strike,” he did not “stick around for the hour or two hours” after, distancing himself from the most controversial decision.
The legal rationale for the strikes has come under fire from all sides. The administration insists the operations are justified under the rules of war, targeting groups like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s National Liberation Army, which the U.S. designates as terrorist organizations. However, legal experts have widely criticized this justification, noting—as The Guardian reports—that the U.S. is not formally at war with any Caribbean armed group, and that the suspected traffickers have not attacked the U.S. or its assets. The lack of public evidence for these cartel designations and the absence of any judicial process for the alleged smugglers only add to the concerns.
Calls for Hegseth’s resignation have grown louder and more bipartisan. Senator Patty Murray, vice-chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, labeled him “unfit for the role” after a classified briefing. The New Democrat Coalition, the largest Democratic caucus in the House, was even more scathing, declaring Hegseth “incompetent, reckless, and a threat to the lives of the men and women who serve in the armed forces.” Coalition chair Brad Schneider and national security working group chair Gil Cisneros accused Hegseth of “lying, deflecting and scapegoating subordinates while refusing to take accountability.”
Some Republicans have also voiced doubts. Senator Rand Paul accused Hegseth of either lying or incompetence regarding the September attacks, while Representative Don Bacon questioned the defense secretary’s fitness to lead the Pentagon. Even experienced counter-narcotics officials are puzzled by the administration’s decision to divert military resources 2,500 miles from the main trafficking route in Mexico to the Caribbean, as noted by Jake Braun, a former acting principal deputy national cyber director.
Amid this uproar, a separate but equally serious scandal has emerged. On December 4, the Department of Defense inspector general released a report concluding that Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by sharing highly sensitive pre-operational intelligence for Yemen airstrikes via the Signal messaging app, including details about aircraft types, strike times, and targets. This breach of operational security and federal record-keeping requirements could have endangered American pilots, warned Senator Jack Reed. Despite these findings, Hegseth claimed on social media that he was “totally exonerated,” a statement sharply contradicted by the inspector general’s report and Senator Warner, who told NPR, “It’s just not factually true.”
Inside the Pentagon, the mood has reportedly turned chaotic. Leaks, internal purges, and conflicting statements from Hegseth and the White House have left the department’s staff demoralized and uncertain. According to The Guardian, the administration continues to defend the Caribbean campaign as targeting vessels linked to terrorist organizations, though no public evidence has substantiated these claims. Legal experts and regional analysts, meanwhile, remain skeptical that the strikes will meaningfully disrupt fentanyl smuggling—especially since, as experts remind, the vast majority of the drug enters the U.S. overland through Mexico.
Despite the mounting crises and bipartisan calls for accountability, Hegseth has shown no sign of stepping down. President Trump’s unwavering support—amplified by a Republican-controlled Senate—makes immediate consequences unlikely. At a recent cabinet meeting, Hegseth declared, “The military had only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean,” signaling the administration’s determination to press ahead with the contentious campaign.
Senator Warner and other critics insist on full transparency. Warner has called for the release of the execution order and all communications related to the September 2 strike, as well as public access to the chilling video shown in the congressional briefing. “I believe we need the legal opinion. Congress has been able to read it. I think the public ought to read it,” Warner said on NPR. “At the end of the day, I don't believe we would have had this if we'd had a secretary of defense that had experience, competency and leadership, and, frankly, showed basic respect to our military and the professionalism of our military.”
As the Pentagon grapples with these twin crises, the fate of Pete Hegseth—and the future of U.S. military policy in the Caribbean—remains deeply uncertain. The coming weeks are likely to bring further revelations, intensified oversight, and continued debate about the boundaries of executive power and the ethical conduct of America’s armed forces.
