American Oversight Renews Call for Investigation Into Potential Deletion of Deadly Boat Strike Records After Navy References “Ongoing Investigation”

Thursday, American Oversight today sent a follow-up demand letter to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) renewing its request for an investigation into the potential unlawful destruction of federal records related to a deadly October 2025 U.S. military boat strike, citing new information from the Department of the Navy referencing an “ongoing investigation” into the matter.

In December 2025, we sent a demand letter to NARA, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of the Navy after reports surfaced that personnel aboard the USS Iwo Jima were ordered to delete photo and video documentation of two survivors taken into U.S. custody following an October 17, 2025, air strike in international waters. The letter warned that any deletion of such records could violate the Federal Records Act, which requires agencies to preserve records documenting government activities and operations.

In March 2026, NARA informed us that it would not open an unauthorized disposition case, stating that the allegations in the reporting we cited were “insufficiently supported” because the reporting originated from “a single source that is not a well-established news reporting source” and that the underlying source had not been identified. NARA also stated that it would reconsider its decision if additional factual information became available.

Last week, the Department of the Navy responded separately to our December demand letter, stating that NARA “is responsible for handling all unauthorized disposition cases” and that the Navy was “unable to comment further due to a current ongoing investigation” (emphasis added).

“Federal agencies cannot simply make potentially damning records disappear and expect the public to accept silence in return,” said Chioma Chukwu, Executive Director of American Oversight. “After initially declining to investigate these allegations, NARA now appears to have additional information from the Navy itself concerning an ongoing investigation tied to a deadly military operation and the detention of survivors — which they acknowledged in response to our inquiry into the possible deletion of related records. The public deserves to know whether records were destroyed, who ordered it, and whether the government is meeting its legal obligations to preserve evidence of actions carried out in the public’s name.”

In today’s follow-up letter, we argue that the Navy’s acknowledgment of an “ongoing investigation” constitutes new information warranting action by NARA. The disclosure also comes amid broader scrutiny of the military’s handling of the boat strike campaign, including a recently announced DOD Office of Inspector General evaluation examining the targeting framework used when carrying out the strikes. The letter again calls on NARA to investigate whether federal records were unlawfully deleted, whether any deleted files can be restored, and whether additional steps are necessary to recover records related to the October 2025 strike and the detention of survivors aboard the USS Iwo Jima.