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Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?

As the Trump administration faces congressional scrutiny over its military strikes in the Caribbean, the White House says Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley ordered a second lethal strike on an alleged drug boat in early September after War Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the operation.

A lesser-known official at the Department of War, Bradley’s oversight of the two Sept. 2 strikes was reported by the Washington Post late last week. In the report, Bradley was said to be following Hegseth’s verbal order to “kill everybody” aboard the vessel.

In the days since the report, federal lawmakers have accused Hegseth of committing “war crimes” against alleged narco-terrorists in violation of international law. The White House rebuts the argument, saying Hegseth is doing what’s best to protect the nation from drug traffickers.

In light of the accusations against the Pentagon, here are all the relevant details to know about the Navy admiral who made the call for the second strike:

What’s his role in the Pentagon?

Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?  at george magazine
Official headshot of Navy Adm. Mitch Bradley (Downloaded file from Department of War)

Bradley currently leads the U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees elite units across the military, after he was promoted to the post in October.

At the time of the Sept. 2 strikes, he led Joint Special Operations Command under SOCOM. The commander oversaw the military operation from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

After an airstrike killed nine of the 11 people aboard the alleged drug boat near Trinidad and Tobago, a Navy SEAL team was reportedly dispatched by JSOC to eliminate the remaining two survivors.

Bradley ordered the deaths of the survivors because he believed they could have called other drug traffickers to retrieve them and their remaining cargo that was not destroyed in the first strike, according to the Washington Post. The White House says Hegseth did not order the second strike himself, but did not deny that it had occurred.

What’s his career history?

Bradley graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1991 and became a Navy SEAL the following year, according to his extensive biography on the Navy’s website.

He served multiple tours in command of joint task forces. Additionally, he was among the first to deploy to Afghanistan following the al Qaeda terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Bradley later rose through the ranks of the Pentagon, eventually leading all levels of special operations.

He studied physics as an undergraduate at the Naval Academy. In 2006, he earned a master’s degree in the branch of science at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Why is he in the news?

Bradley’s name has become widely circulated in the press because of his involvement in the strikes scrutinized by Congress.

As the House and Senate Armed Services Committees lead investigations into the reported military strikes, the commander is expected to brief lawmakers on the matter this week. The classified briefing is anticipated to take place on Thursday.

“The committee of jurisdiction, the Armed Services Committee, has asked for a briefing by the appropriate administration officials, and I assume we’ll attempt to get all the facts surrounding what happened with that incident,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Tuesday.

While some critics suggest the Trump administration is throwing Bradley under the bus, Hegseth publicly threw “100% support” behind the Pentagon official and his combat decisions. He also hailed the Navy admiral as an “American hero.”

TRUMP HOLDS CABINET MEETING AS ADMINISTRATION PROTECTS HEGSETH FROM ‘WAR CRIME’ ACCUSATIONS

In a Monday interview with MS NOW, former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Bradley would be court-martialed if the situation were under “normal circumstances.”

“Adm. Bradley was reported to have given an excuse, if you will, for the second engagement. That doesn’t hold water,” the Biden-era military official said. “These people were wounded. They were in the water. They were not a threat to anybody. Again, that’s a textbook example of a war crime.”

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Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?  at george magazine
Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?  at george magazine
Who is Mitch Bradley, whom the White House claims made the call for second strike on alleged drug boat?  at george magazine

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