Pete Hegseth on 'Double-Tap' Strikes: Timeline and Decision-Making

Defense Budget and Threats

• 📈 The defense budget, currently at 3% of GDP, is expected to increase, reflecting a growing understanding of global threats.
• 🎯 The Secretary of Defense emphasizes collaboration with the deputy secretary and chairman to represent the president's needs for proper defense investment.

Planning the First Strike

• 🗓️ The initial strike off the coast of Venezuela on September 2nd took nearly a month to develop, requiring extensive intelligence gathering and analysis.
• ⚠️ Due to the strategic implications, the decision responsibility for the first few strikes was held at the Secretary of Defense's level, not delegated to local commanders.
• 🔍 The pre-strike briefing was exhaustive, covering military, legal, intelligence, and red-teaming aspects to ensure confidence in the target and its affiliation with designated terrorist organizations.

Execution and Re-Strikes

• ✅ The Secretary's role was to approve or deny the strike, confirming it met all criteria, including the designation of the target as a terrorist organization threatening American people.
• 🔥 The initial strike involved significant dust and fire, lasting for a considerable time after the event.
• 🔄 A re-attack was necessary a couple of hours later due to remaining combatants with access to radios and potential links to other threats, a decision fully supported by the Secretary.
• 🎖️ The authority for such re-attacks rests with commanders like Admiral Bradley, and similar protocols have been followed for subsequent strikes.