WASHINGTON – During a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staunchly defended recent military strikes against suspected drug cartel vessels. He asserted that President Donald Trump possesses the authority to undertake military actions deemed necessary to safeguard the nation.

Amid criticism and legal scrutiny over the strikes, which have resulted in over 80 fatalities, Hegseth argued that such measures are warranted to ensure American safety. He drew parallels between this initiative and the post-9/11 war on terror, underscoring its significance in combating threats.

“For those collaborating with terrorist organizations and trafficking drugs into our country via sea, rest assured, we will locate and neutralize you,” Hegseth declared during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum. “President Trump is prepared to act decisively to defend our national interests. Let there be no doubt about our resolve on the global stage.”

The latest strike has raised the campaign’s death toll to at least 87. This has prompted legislators to demand further explanations concerning the legal grounds of these actions, particularly focusing on whether U.S. forces were instructed to execute a follow-up attack even after the Pentagon was aware of survivors from a previous September incident.

While Hegseth equated the drug smugglers with Al-Qaida terrorists, experts have highlighted notable differences in the nature of these adversaries and the strategies used to confront them.

Hegseth’s statements coincided with the release of the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, which critiques European allies’ perceived weaknesses and aims to reinforce America’s influence 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 perplexed many nuclear arms experts.

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.