Simi Valley, California, 7 December (H.S.): Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staunchly defended the recent U.S. military strikes on suspected drug cartel vessels during his keynote at the Reagan National Defense Forum. He emphasized President Donald Trump’s constitutional authority to employ military force as he sees fit to safeguard national interests, likening the strikes to the post-9/11 war on terror operations.

Addressing concerns over the rising death toll of at least 87 and international legal scrutiny, Hegseth insisted the operations are essential to protect American citizens from drug trafficking networks. If you’re working for a designated terrorist organization 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, he declared.

Hegseth also used the platform to highlight broader national security priorities outlined in the Trump administration’s newly unveiled strategy, criticizing European allies as weak and warning against distractions like regime change, democracy building, and climate change initiatives. He reaffirmed Trump’s pledge to restart nuclear testing to counterbalance China and Russia, a stance stirring concern among arms control experts.

The Defense Secretary portrayed President Trump as the true heir to Ronald Reagan’s assertive foreign policy, while sharply criticizing past Republican support for Middle East interventions.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar