Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, right. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images; USSOCOM)
"America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this Department of War says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it," he added.
Bradley is set to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military, according to The Associated Press.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the Sept. 2 strike was conducted "in self-defense" in international waters "in accordance with the law of armed conflict."
"On Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," Leavitt said. "Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated."
LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL OF ALLEGED HEGSETH KILL ORDERS IN VENEZUELA — BUT ISSUE STARK WARNING
War Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his panel's investigation would be "done by the numbers."
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee who has called for the Trump administration to release the video of the strike, said its inquiry would start "with briefings about what actually happened" from the officials involved.
"If they’ve done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don’t they release it?" he asked.
In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of its Armed Services Committee, said he was "satisfied" following a conversation with Hegseth about the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley.
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"We’ll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon," Rogers said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-backs-special-ops-chiefs-combat-decisions-deadly-caribbean-strike-ahead-classified-briefing