--- title: "Hegseth calls boat strikes ‘lawful’ and ‘successful’ after calls for impeachment" description: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the boat strikes that have killed at least 240 people a successful and legal operation." date: "2026-11-10" modified: "2026-11-10" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/hegseth-impeachment-boat-strikes/" categories: - "Around the World" - "News" - "United States" --- # Hegseth calls boat strikes ‘lawful’ and ‘successful’ after calls for impeachment ![Secretary of War Pete Hegseth conducts a press briefing at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Nov. 10, 2026. (DoW photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Madelyn Keech)]() *Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holds a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 10, 2026. Air Force Staff Sgt. Madelyn Keech.* Facing the threat of impeachment, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where he argued that actions taken under his watch were legal operations ordered by President Donald Trump. That includes [the ongoing war with Iran](); airstrikes [against Houthi fighters in Yemen](); the raid that [captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro](); and airstrikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that [have killed at least 240 people](). “Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen: every one was a lawful operation ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress and executed by American warriors who did their jobs,” Hegseth said at [a press conference]() at the Pentagon. “These are not high crimes,” he added later. “This is the job. And it’s the job well done.” Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky [filed articles of impeachment]() against Hegseth on Monday, accusing the country’s top civilian defense official of usurping congressional power to wage war, overseeing extrajudicial killings abroad, and [attempting to suppress a member of Congress]()’ freedom of speech. Massie introduced [eight articles of impeachment]() in the House of Representatives. The fifth article, titled “Extrajudicial Killings,” deals with the boat strikes, alleging that Hegseth ordered such strikes without legal authorization from Congress. The administration’s labeling of drug cartels as “designated terrorist organizations” [does not authorize the use of military force](), the article points out. U.S. Southern Command has offered little evidence that the boats it struck were engaged in drug trafficking. The Washington Post [reported]() in December that Hegseth’s guidelines required only “reasonable certainty” that a targeted crew member was affiliated with a terrorist organization. That’s a lower threshold than the “near certainty” standard for lethal force against members of Al-Qaeda or similar groups during the Global War on Terror. Even if the boat crews were members of a group against which military force was authorized, the article argued, the Defense Department allegedly fell short of international laws of armed conflict by reportedly [launching a second strike]() on the survivors of a boat that it had already destroyed. “In denying quarter and refusing rescue, Secretary Hegseth endangered members of the United States Armed Forces in future military engagements by encouraging adversaries to subject American service members to such treatment,” the article reads. ![A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24, flies over a vessel of interest being destroyed during a Maritime Interdiction Operation while in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 05, 2026. The vessel of interest was boarded and cleared before being destroyed. U.S. military forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in support of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, Department of War-directed operations, and the President's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland through continuous presence. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)]() *A Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom flies over a vessel being destroyed after U.S. forces boarded and cleared it during a maritime interdiction operation in the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 5, 2026. Marine Corps photo.* The United Nations took a similar view when it issued a report in September, arguing that the boat strikes may constitute [crimes against humanity](). A confidential assessment by the Drug Enforcement Administration published in July found that the boat strikes have not reduced the amount of cocaine entering the U.S., the Washington Post [reported]() at the time. Fentanyl is the leading cause of illicit drug deaths in the U.S., but it largely enters the country over land, not by sea. “\[This resolution\] tells our enemies … that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth said Tuesday about the articles of impeachment. ## Author David Roza is a senior reporter at Task & Purpose with extensive experience covering aviation, technology, military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and a range of other personnel matters.David previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025 before returning to Task & Purpose as a scriptwriter for the team's YouTube channel. Share tips and story ideas with David at david.roza@recurrent.io. ## More - [Hegseth faces possible impeachment over Iran war, boat strikes and Maduro Raid]() - [Drug cartels are ‘no different than al-Qaida,’ Hegseth says]() - [Head of Tren de Aragua gang killed in US strike in Venezuela, Trump says]() - [US military’s drug boat strikes have now killed at least 240 people]() - [US forces strike a fourth boat in the Caribbean]() - [US carries out first strike on alleged drug boat in 2026]() - [US military captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro after striking military sites]() - [Hegseth adds more Humvees, patrol cars, boats to DC National Guard law enforcement ‘support’ mission]()