The BLUF - December 2nd

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This is Atlas, and you’re reading the Bottom Line Up Front, where we cover the top geopolitical stories from around the world every Tuesday!

Today’s topics:

• White House: Follow Up Strike On Drug Trafficking Vessel Is Lawful

• Russia Claims Victory In Crucial City Of Pokrovsk

• Canada To Accelerate Defense Spending

White House: Follow Up Strike On Drug Trafficking Vessel Is Lawful

_{By: Atlas}

The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted "within his authority and the law" when he ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea on September 2. The statement came as bipartisan lawmakers announced support for congressional investigations into the incident.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorized Admiral Frank M. "Mitch" Bradley, then commander of Joint Special Operations Command and now head of U.S. Special Operations Command, to conduct the strikes.

"Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," Leavitt said. "Admiral 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."

The administration's defense followed a Washington Post report published Friday stating that Hegseth had issued a verbal directive for the September operation: "The order was to kill everybody," the paper reported. According to the Post, U.S. surveillance spotted two survivors clinging to the burning vessel after the first strike. A second strike was then carried out.

Leavitt did not dispute that survivors remained after the initial attack. She said the operation was conducted "in self defense to protect Americans and vital United States interests," took place in international waters, and complied with the law of armed conflict.

Trump distances himself from second strike

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he "wouldn't have wanted that—not a second strike" when asked about the incident. He added that Hegseth denied ordering the deaths of the two men and that he believed him.

"Pete said he did not order the death of those two men," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "And I believe him, 100%."

The president said the administration would "look into" the issue. He met Monday evening with his national security team to discuss ongoing operations and potential next steps against Venezuela.

Trump this year designated Venezuelan drug traffickers as narco-terrorists subject to lethal force, resulting in a series of deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The administration has disclosed 21 strikes that have killed at least 83 people.

Hegseth responded to the Post's report on social media Friday, calling it "fake news" and "fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland."

On Monday, Hegseth posted his support for Bradley. "Let's make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support," Hegseth wrote on X. "I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made—on the September 2 mission and all others since."

Bipartisan calls for investigation

Lawmakers from both parties have said the reports warrant scrutiny. The Armed Services Committees in the House and Senate opened formal inquiries over the weekend.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican, pledged that his investigation would be "done by the numbers."

"We'll find out the ground truth," Wicker said, adding that the ramifications of the report were "serious charges."

Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the panel, called for the administration to release unredacted video of the strike. "If they've done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don't they release it?" he said.

Representative Mike Turner stated that if the reported second strike occurred as described, it would constitute an illegal act.

Some lawmakers went further. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, told ABC News on Sunday, "I think it's very possible there was a war crime committed." He added that if the administration's legal theory of armed conflict with drug gangs is wrong, "then it's plain murder."

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday he doesn't "think there's any question" the second U.S. strike was a war crime, according to The Hill.

The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, has called on the U.S. to review the legality of the strikes, stating there is "strong evidence" that the second hit amounted to an extrajudicial killing.

Military personnel raise concerns

The controversy has prompted an uptick in calls to the Orders Project, which provides free legal advice to military personnel, according to Frank Rosenblatt, president of the National Institute of Military Justice.

Rosenblatt told The Hill that calls to the organization were "generally very low until three months ago," when the Trump administration began targeting alleged drug-carrying boats. He described concerns from staff officers and others involved in planning and executing the strikes.

"We had one issue of a person who is going to an upcoming assignment, and wanted to know what their options were, because they thought they may be involved in some of these strikes where the legal basis right now is at best contested," Rosenblatt said. "This person had questions, saying, 'I don't want to be doing something that is illegal, that I could get in trouble for later.'"

Rosenblatt also referenced a staff officer who had been asked to apply expertise to a document designating the individuals being targeted as enemies, which would allow the U.S. to attack under the rules of war. The officer applied their expertise and determined the document did not meet standards. Rosenblatt said the individual felt pressured by senior political appointees afterward.

A classified Justice Department memo from this summer reportedly argued that U.S. troops involved in the strikes would not face legal jeopardy. But Rosenblatt said the existence of such a memo has raised additional concerns among service members.

"No one ever came down and said, 'You're immunized for any potential crimes you commit,'" Rosenblatt said of prior operations during the global war on terror. "So now to have this immunity as part of the discussion really tends to chill people and make them ask, 'What the heck's going on? What is it that I might be asked to do?'"

Venezuela responds

Venezuela's National Assembly announced the launch of an investigation into the lethal strikes carried out by the U.S. Jorge Rodríguez, the Assembly's president and chief negotiator for the Maduro government, said a group of lawmakers would investigate "the serious events that led to the murder of Venezuelans in the waters of the Caribbean Sea."

The announcement marked the first time a Maduro government official explicitly acknowledged that Venezuelans have been killed in the monthslong U.S. military operation.

Trump confirmed Sunday that he had recently spoken by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro but declined to detail the conversation. The U.S. considers Maduro an illegitimate leader. Maduro has denied links to the illegal drug trade.

Speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday, Maduro said U.S. pressure has "tested" the country but that Venezuelans are ready "to defend it and lead it to the path of peace."

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