A second strike involving a boat allegedly linked to a Venezuelan drug trafficking organization should be evaluated through established military review channels rather than "played out in a political Twitter game," Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins told Newsmax on Thursday.
Collins, speaking to "American Agenda," pointed to commentary circulating about the operation, including references to military legal review, or a JAG presence, and said he trusts military leaders to provide an accurate account of what had occurred.
"Let's put the trust in the military leaders to have said, 'This is what we've done,'" Collins said, adding that in his view they act "with the highest integrity to carry out the mission that they were called to do."
Collins' comments came after Navy Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley told lawmakers Thursday that there was no "kill them all" order from War Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinizes an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela.
"When you designate a terrorist organization, narco-terrorist is what we're looking at, his job is to protect this country," Collins said. "Is there anybody going to stand up and argue that drugs are not terrorizing our country?"
Collins said such threats have had deadly consequences domestically and said the administration is shifting toward a more aggressive posture.
"It's putting people in graves early," he said, adding that President Donald Trump has "made it clear we're not going to tolerate [this] anymore."
Collins also on Thursday criticized a video from six Democrat senators urging service members to refuse unlawful orders, calling it part of a broader effort to undermine Trump and potentially inject doubt into the ranks.
Collins further discussed work underway in the VA, where he said he has focused on reducing internal bottlenecks and measuring success by outcomes for veterans.
"The first day I stepped in, I said, the veteran is first at the VA. We don't exist without a veteran," he said.
Collins described changes he said are producing measurable improvements, including a reduction in the disability claims backlog.
He said claims pending more than 125 days fell from more than 260,000 to under 110,000 in six months, crediting a tighter focus and cutting bureaucratic practices that slowed delivery.
He also highlighted a women's health initiative that he said is being expanded nationwide to allow female veterans to schedule gynecological care directly without first going through a primary care provider.
That change, said Collins, was prompted by reports of weekslong delays in accessing care.
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