Caffeinated Politics

We are watching the wheels come off the Donald Trump Administration. This weekend, we learned gut-punching news that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a completely deplorable and totally unacceptable order to kill everyone in a missile srike, inferring that even included survivors in the waters off Venezuela. That is what happened after a U.S. military strike had already destroyed much of the boat and killed others on board. Not only did this action violate military law, but it also endangers the moral standing of our nation while placing the safety of American soldiers for years to come in danger.

In September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly had given a verbal order to kill everyone aboard boats suspected of smuggling drugs, and that this led a military commander to carry out a second strike to kill those who had initially survived an attack in early September.

“Obviously if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Representative Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio and a former chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said on “Face the Nation” on CBS.

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, said on CBS that if the report was accurate, the attack “rises to the level of a war crime.” And on CNN, when asked if he believed a second strike to kill survivors constituted a war crime, Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, answered, “It seems to.”

The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and the Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibit targeting individuals who are incapacitated, surrendering, or otherwise no longer posing a threat. Survivors in the water after a strike fall squarely into this category. By ordering their execution, Hegseth ran directly counter to the rules that govern U.S. military conduct. This is not a gray area; it is a bright red line. Both sides of the political aisle understand that fact.

Such an order undermines the very foundation of military justice. If the Secretary of Defense himself disregards international law, how can the United States credibly demand accountability from adversaries who commit atrocities?

Hegseth’s directive does more than stain America’s reputation but it also it endangers our troops. If the U.S. openly disregards protections for incapacitated combatants, enemy forces will feel justified in doing the same. American soldiers captured in future conflicts could be denied the protections of the Geneva Conventions, tortured, or summarily executed, with adversaries pointing to Hegseth’s precedent as justification.

This indefensible act erodes the moral high ground that has historically protected U.S. service members and undermines the trust of allies who expect America to uphold international norms. Hegseth would have known that had he the personal character needed to hold the secretary position.

I wrote clearly from the start that appointing a former Fox News personality with no real military leadership experience to the Pentagon’s top post was a recipe for disaster. Hegseth’s history of heavy drinking and erratic behavior was well-documented during his goofy media career. There were always a host of questions about his limited judgment and shallow degree of self-discipline. I wrote that his lack of serious command experience meant he was ill-prepared to handle the grave responsibilities of wartime decision-making. Nailed that one for sure.

Now, those warnings have proven prophetic. Instead of sober, measured leadership, we have a Defense Secretary issuing rash, unlawful orders that put America’s honor and its soldiers at risk.

The only path forward is to fire Pete Hegseth. He has clearly demonstrated a leaping lapse in judgment, promoted the violation of military law, undermined and betrayed American values, and now has proven to be a direct threat to the safety of U.S. troops.

Congress and the President must act immediately to remove Hegseth from office. Every day he remains in power signals to the world that America condones war crimes. That is unacceptable.