WASHINGTON

The Pentagon on Tuesday defended Admiral Mitch Bradley who authorized a follow-on strike against a suspected narco-terrorist vessel during the Sept. 2 operation in the Caribbean Sea.

"As the White House confirmed yesterday, the decision to restrike the narco-terrorist vessel was made by Admiral Bradley, operating under clear and long-standing authorities to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was eliminated," Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told a news conference.

"Secretary Hegseth stands behind Admiral Bradley 100%. Admiral Bradley made the right call."

A report by The Washington Post said Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered a follow-up strike on a suspected drug vessel operating in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 after an initial attack did not kill everyone on board.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Monday said Hegseth "authorized" Admiral Bradley, the commander of the US Special Operations Command, to conduct the strikes.

Wilson said to date, there have been a total of 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Western Hemisphere with 82 "narco-terrorists" killed.

She said each strike is taken in defense of "vital" US national interest and to protect the homeland, and reiterated that the US operations in the US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) region are "lawful."

"These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command.

"A completely fake story in the Washington Post, now discredited by the New York Times, tried to mischaracterize these successful strikes in bad faith," Wilson said.

She said the strikes were "presidentially directed, and the chain of command functions as it should."

"And we make sure that commanders on the ground are taken their positions are taken into account, and they are able to tell us and make decisions and think if they see things that need to be flagged. But at the end of the day, the secretary and the president are the ones directing these strikes, and any follow on strikes like those which were directed by Admiral Bradley, the secretary, 100% agrees with," Wilson said.