Bulwark Takes Is Adm. Bradley Getting Blamed for Hegseth’s Mess?
Dec 2, 2025
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins Ben Parker to dissect the Pentagon's denials around a controversial kill order at sea. Hertling asserts that targeting incapacitated survivors would violate military law. They question the administration's claims of terrorist identities and the legal basis for the strike. The duo explores the pressures faced by senior officers and the ambiguous chain of command. They call for a thorough investigation into the moral leadership and decision-making behind these orders.
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Killing Survivors Would Be A War Crime
- Targeting people who are incapacitated in the water would be a clear war crime under U.S. and international law.
- Mark Hertling emphasizes the laws of war manual explicitly uses that exact scenario as an example of what not to do.
Unclear War Authorization Clouds Legality
- The legal status of the mission is murky because Congress never authorized a war against Venezuelan traffickers.
- Hertling notes that unclear authorization complicates whether military actions are lawful under domestic and international law.
Service Members Must Refuse Illegal Orders
- Military personnel have a duty to question and refuse unlawful orders at every rank.
- Hertling outlines formal channels like JAG and inspector general for officers who believe an order is illegal.