Hegseth Defends Strikes on Drug Boats  12/08 06:08

   Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended strikes on alleged drug cartel boats 
during remarks Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, saying 
President Donald Trump has the power to take military action "as he sees fit" 
to defend the nation.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended strikes on 
alleged drug cartel boats during remarks Saturday at the Ronald Reagan 
Presidential Library, saying President Donald Trump has the power to take 
military action "as he sees fit" to defend the nation.

   Hegseth dismissed criticism of the strikes, which have killed more than 80 
people and now face intense scrutiny over concerns that they violated 
international law. Saying the strikes are justified to protect Americans, 
Hegseth likened the fight to the war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001 
attacks.

   "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," Hegseth said during his keynote address at the 
Reagan National Defense Forum. "President Trump can and will take decisive 
military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests. Let no country 
on earth doubt that for a moment."

   The most recent strike brings the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 
people. Lawmakers have sought more answers about the attacks and their legal 
justification, and whether U.S. forces were ordered to launch a follow-up 
strike following a September attack even after the Pentagon knew of survivors.

   Though Hegseth compared the alleged drug smugglers to Al-Qaida terrorists, 
experts have noted significant differences between the two foes and the efforts 
to combat them.

   Hegseth's remarks came after the Trump administration released its new 
national security strategy, one that paints European allies as weak and aims to 
reassert America's dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

   During the speech, Hegseth also discussed the need to check China's rise 
through strength instead of conflict. He repeated Trump's vow to resume nuclear 
testing on an equal basis as China and Russia -- a goal that has alarmed many 
nuclear arms experts. China and Russia haven't conducted explosive tests in 
decades, though the Kremlin said it would follow the U.S. if Trump restarted 
tests.

   The speech was delivered at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald 
Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in California, an event which 
brings together top national security experts from around the country. Hegseth 
used the visit to argue that Trump is Reagan's "true and rightful heir" when it 
comes to muscular foreign policy.

   By contrast, Hegseth criticized Republican leaders in the years since Reagan 
for supporting wars in the Middle East and democracy-building efforts that 
didn't work. He also blasted those who have argued that climate change poses 
serious challenges to military readiness.

   "The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, 
interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing 
and feckless nation building," he said.