Members of the U.S. Congress are intensifying efforts to obtain and publicly release military video recordings related to a deadly boat collision involving a U.S. Navy vessel and a migrant boat in the Caribbean Sea earlier this year. The incident occurred in September 2025, and resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.
The renewed push is being led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has pressed the Department of Defense for months to disclose all available visual evidence connected to the collision. According to lawmakers involved in the effort, transparency is essential to ensuring public trust in how such incidents are investigated and handled.
The ship involved in the collision was identified as the USNS Burlington, a high-speed transport vessel operating near waters off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Defense officials have stated that the Burlington was following standard navigation procedures and issued several warnings before the crash occurred. The migrant vessel was reportedly carrying more than 30 people at the time.
Four individuals lost their lives in the accident, while nine others sustained injuries. The full identity of the victims has not been officially released.
Defense Secretary Hegseth originally attempted to secure the video through Freedom of Information Act requests, but those efforts were denied on the grounds that a formal investigation remained active. To overcome that barrier, he later introduced an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that would have required the Pentagon to make all video and photographic evidence public within two weeks of the bill becoming law.
Despite receiving bipartisan backing in the House, the amendment was ultimately excluded from the final version of the defense bill that advanced for Senate consideration. This development has forced supporters to search for alternative legislative pathways to compel the release of the footage.
This detail complicates the congressional investigation’s path forward. As Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, noted, the video material directly conflicts with the version of events presented by Hegseth and his GOP colleagues.
The investigation into the collision is currently being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, commonly known as NCIS. Defense officials, including representatives from U.S. Southern Command, have expressed concern that releasing sensitive video materials too early could interfere with witness testimony and evidence collection.
However, the Navy has already completed a separate internal operational assessment, concluding that the Burlington’s crew acted in accordance with established procedures. That conclusion has raised further questions among lawmakers who argue the public should now be allowed to review the underlying evidence.
The controversy has also gained political attention due to Defense Secretary Hegseth’s ties to President Donald Trump, who has previously advocated for broader military transparency in high-profile cases. While Trump has not issued any public statement regarding this incident, his past remarks continue to shape debate among supporters of disclosure.
Congressional leaders are exploring other legislative options, including standalone votes or attaching the requirement to future must-pass bills. The coming weeks are expected to determine whether lawmakers succeed in forcing the Pentagon to release the long-sought footage.
For now, the case highlights the ongoing tension between national security protocols and the growing demand for public accountability in military operations.
