U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a forceful defence of military strikes targeting suspected drug cartel vessels during a major speech in California on Saturday. Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Hegseth asserted President Donald Trump's broad authority to use military force to protect national interests.
Justifying Lethal Force Against Cartels
Hegseth's remarks directly addressed growing criticism of the strikes, which have resulted in at least 87 fatalities and face intense scrutiny over potential violations of international law. He dismissed these concerns, framing the campaign as a necessary defence of American citizens.
"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 declared in his keynote address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on December 6, 2025.
He drew a direct parallel to the post-9/11 war on terror, likening alleged drug smugglers to Al-Qaida. However, security experts have noted significant differences between combating terrorist networks and targeting drug trafficking operations.
Legal Scrutiny and a New Security Strategy
The defence secretary's comments come as U.S. lawmakers demand more information about the legal justification for the attacks. A key point of inquiry is whether American forces were ordered to launch a follow-up strike in September after the Pentagon was aware of survivors from an initial engagement.
Hegseth's appearance followed the release of the Trump administration's new national security strategy. The document criticizes European allies as weak and aims to reassert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. During his speech, Hegseth positioned Trump as the "true and rightful heir" to Ronald Reagan's muscular foreign policy legacy.
A Broader Vision of "Peace Through Strength"
Beyond the cartel strikes, Hegseth outlined a broader foreign policy vision centred on deterrence. He emphasized checking China's rise through strength rather than direct conflict and reiterated Trump's controversial vow to resume nuclear testing to match the capabilities of China and Russia. This prospect has alarmed arms control experts, as neither Moscow nor Beijing has conducted explosive nuclear tests in decades.
He also issued sharp rebukes of past U.S. foreign policy, criticizing post-Reagan Republican leaders for Middle East wars and failed democracy-building efforts. He explicitly rejected climate change as a distraction for the military.
"The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation building," Hegseth stated, defining a sharp break from the policies of recent administrations.
