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Survivors of boat strike did not radio for backup, Bradley tells lawmakers: Report

Admiral Bradley authorized a second strike that reportedly killed survivors clinging to wreckage, amid claims the vessel carried narcotics linked to designated terrorist groups.

  • Adm. Frank 'Mitch' Bradley told House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees that the two survivors from the September 2 Caribbean strike did not appear to have radios or communications devices.
  • Defense officials had argued survivors were 'radioing for help', prompting further action, while the initial strike used two missiles that split the suspected cocaine-carrying vessel and killed nine people.
  • Commanders reviewed the video for roughly 41 minutes while consulting a JAG officer who assessed a follow-on strike as legal, and Bradley then ordered two additional missiles to destroy the remains.
  • The deaths prompted immediate questions about whether the action violated the Pentagon law-of-war manual, with lawmakers and legal authorities raising concerns and the Senate Armed Services Committee pledging oversight.
  • Shifting accounts of the September 2 strike have left lawmakers divided and prompted increased oversight as the wider maritime campaign's toll — at least 87 killed — draws warnings from legal experts.
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US Admiral Frank Bradley recently admitted to lawmakers that he ordered a second attack on the wreckage of a Venezuelan ship in the Caribbean with two survivors on September 2. The two survivors did not attempt to send a distress signal and posed no danger, CNN reported, citing three congressional sources. The military defended the second attack on the broken ship on the grounds that the survivors could have called for help.

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CNN broke the news in Atlanta, United States on Friday, December 5, 2025.
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