Washington, Dec. 7 — U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday defended recent U.S. military strikes on vessels allegedly tied to drug cartels, saying President Donald Trump has the authority to act decisively to protect the country.
Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library during the Reagan National Defence Forum, Hegseth dismissed criticism of the operations, which have been reported to have killed more than 80 people and prompted questions about possible violations of international law. He argued the strikes were necessary to safeguard American citizens and compared the campaign to the nation’s response after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
“If you’re working for a designated terrorist organisation and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it,” Hegseth said, adding that “President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation’s interests.”
Officials say the most recent strike brought the reported death toll to at least 87. Lawmakers have asked for more information about the legal justification for the strikes and whether U.S. forces were ordered to carry out a second strike after a September operation in which there were known survivors.
Hegseth also compared suspected drug traffickers to Al-Qaeda, a parallel that analysts have challenged, noting important differences in organization and the tactics required to counter each threat. His remarks followed the release of the administration’s national security strategy, which portrays some European allies as weak and emphasizes a reassertion of U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.
On China, Hegseth said the U.S. must meet Beijing’s rise with strength rather than mere confrontation. He reiterated President Trump’s pledge to resume nuclear testing to match China and Russia — a position that surprised many experts in nuclear policy.
At the forum, which drew senior national security officials and commentators, Hegseth portrayed Trump as a political heir to Ronald Reagan in pursuing a muscular foreign policy, contrasting that approach with what he called later Republican missteps on Middle East engagements and democracy-building efforts. He also criticized those who say climate change is a serious threat to military readiness, stating, “The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralising and feckless nation building.”
This report is based on a syndicated feed (ANI) and is published as received; the publisher assumes no responsibility for the feed’s accuracy or completeness.
