Hegseth under scrutiny after US kills boat strike survivors

In December 2025, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth authorized a military strike against a vessel suspected of drug trafficking. The incident is under scrutiny following reports that survivors of the initial attack were killed in a subsequent strike, also known as a "double-tap." Hegseth is now facing questions regarding the authorization of the operation and the decision to engage in a follow-up attack. The location of the incident was not specified in the report. The reason for the scrutiny is the ethical implications of targeting survivors of an initial military action.