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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.
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