JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The U.S. military campaign against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean has been controversial since it began three months ago today. Now, that very first military strike on September 2 and the role of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under intense scrutiny. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre is here in the studio with more. Hi.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Greg, I understand we've learned more this afternoon about that very first strike. Tell us what we know.
MYRE: Yeah. President Trump convened a Cabinet meeting, and Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth spoke about that operation on September 2. That's when the U.S. military hit a suspected drug boat. Nine people were killed, and the boat was set aflame initially. Here's what Hegseth said.
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PETE HEGSETH: I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we got a lot of things to do, so I didn't stick around. So I moved on to my next meeting.
MYRE: So he was fully engaged when the initial attack took place and didn't remain around for what followed.
SUMMERS: What happened next, Greg?
MYRE: Well, apparently, two people on the boat survived and were clinging to the vessel. The U.S. military then carries out a second strike and kills the two survivors. And then it hits the boat two more times after that to sink the boat. This current controversy began last Friday, when The Washington Post reported that Hegseth gave an order to strike at the survivors, and this could be problematic since U.S. military law and international laws of war prohibit attacks on those who can't defend themselves. But Hegseth said he did not see survivors and was not involved in that decision.
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HEGSETH: A couple of hours later, I learned that that commander had made the - which he had the complete authority to do. And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. He sunk the boat, sunk the boat and eliminated the threat. And he was the right call.
MYRE: And so the commander he's referring to there was Admiral Mitch Bradley, who has not commented so far. And while we're learning new details about this specific attack, more broadly, Hegseth has been the leading administration figure overseeing this operation.
SUMMERS: And now Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress are speaking out. They're demanding to know more. What have you heard from them?
MYRE: Yeah. Senior Republicans on the Senate and House Armed Services Committee are calling for investigations, as are many Democrats. And the Democrats are also asking larger questions. Is there any legal justification for this entire campaign? And what's the ultimate goal since most drugs come into the U.S. by land, not by sea?
And today, Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky posted a letter on social media, which came from the Coast Guard, which was responding to his questions. The Coast Guard said that in roughly the year prior to this U.S. military campaign, it interdicted more than 200 boats suspected of drug smuggling. While many did have illegal drugs, about 20% of them did not. And the Coast Guard also said that it did not use lethal force in any of those interdictions.
SUMMERS: Greg, I do want to ask you about a related development. President Trump has pardoned the former Honduran president who was convicted of involvement in drug trafficking. Has President Trump explained why?
MYRE: Well, he really hasn't. He did officially pardon the Honduran president - former president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who's now been released from prison in West Virginia. He was convicted in the U.S. last year, sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the smuggling of an estimated 400 to 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S. over an extended period. Hernandez sent a letter to Trump recently saying he was a victim of political persecution by the Biden administration. And Trump appears to have accepted this without offering any evidence that there were problems with the legal case. And critics are asking why Trump is waging this major military campaign to fight drugs while releasing a former Honduran president convicted of a major role in drug trafficking.
SUMMERS: NPR's Greg Myre, thanks.
MYRE: Sure thing, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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