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Former acting Defense Intelligence Agency chief David Shedd went on Fox’s America Reports to explain a hard truth: in combat and high-stakes interdictions, a second strike can be necessary to finish the job and protect American lives. Shedd, who served in the Obama administration’s intelligence apparatus, described scenarios where a follow-up strike is called for when targets remain a threat after an initial engagement.
The reaction in the media and among some lawmakers has been immediate and hysterical after reporting that a suspected drug-smuggling vessel was struck on September 2 and a follow-up attack killed survivors, sparking accusations of a “double-tap” war crime. The reporting has pressured Congress to demand answers while the Pentagon and allies insist operations were lawful and targeted narco-terror networks, not civilians.
The White House and Pentagon have defended the strikes as lawful and necessary to disrupt international narcotics shipments, with officials saying commanders acted within their authority to eliminate a persistent threat. At the same time, critics in the press have tried to make political hay, spinning footage and incomplete timelines into a narrative that weakens our defense posture.
Let’s be blunt: David Shedd reminded viewers that this is not a new tactic. He acknowledged that follow-up strikes were used in prior administrations when targets continued to pose danger, and that such choices are made in split seconds with imperfect information — exactly the kind of hard calls we expect from experienced military and intelligence professionals.
Conservative Americans should not accept the reflexive condemnation from coastal elites who rarely face the consequences of soft borders and open seas. If narco-terrorists are using speedboats and weaponized logistics to funnel poison into our cities, we owe our troops and seamen the authority and support to stop them, even when the missions are messy and controversial.
This campaign against drug-running vessels has already involved numerous strikes across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific this year as the administration attempts to choke off the cartels’ supply lines and punish groups labeled as narcoterrorists. The scale of the effort underscores that this is a sustained, high-risk operation intended to protect American communities from an epidemic of fentanyl and violent crime.
Yes, transparency and oversight matter — every patriotic American wants accountability — but those demands should not turn into political theater that ties the hands of commanders in the field. Congress should get the facts, evaluate the lawfulness of actions dispassionately, and then stand with the men and women doing the dangerous work of securing our nation’s seas and streets.
