US Secretary of War said the operations, which resulted in at least 87 deaths and raised questions over breaches of international law, were justified to protect US citizens and likened the effort to the response following the September 11, 2001, attacks
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gives a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. PIC/Getty Images
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended recent military strikes on boats linked to alleged drug cartels, saying President Donald Trump has the authority to take action “as he sees fit” to safeguard the nation.
He said the operations, which resulted in at least 87 deaths and raised questions over breaches of international law, were justified to protect US citizens and likened the effort to the response following 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 during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defence 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.”
Lawmakers have requested greater clarity about the legal basis for the strikes and whether US personnel were instructed to conduct a second strike after a September operation when officials knew there were survivors.
Hegseth also likened suspected drug traffickers to Al-Qaeda, though analysts have pointed out key differences between the two and the strategies needed to combat them. His remarks came soon after the administration released its national security strategy, which depicts European partners as weak and aims to reassert US power in the West.
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