WASHINGTON — During a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staunchly defended recent military strikes on boats suspected of drug cartel activity. He emphasized that President Donald Trump possesses the authority to initiate military actions deemed necessary to protect the nation.

Amid rising scrutiny over the legality of these strikes, which have resulted in over 80 fatalities, Hegseth dismissed criticism by asserting that the operations are crucial for safeguarding American citizens. He drew parallels between this campaign and the post-9/11 war on terror.

“If you are affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and attempt to bring drugs into this country by sea, we will locate and neutralize you. Make no mistake about it,” Hegseth declared in his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum. “President Trump is prepared to take decisive military action to defend our national interests. Let there be no doubt globally about our resolve.”

The latest strike has increased the campaign’s death toll to at least 87. This has prompted lawmakers to demand clarity regarding the legal basis for these attacks, particularly questioning whether a follow-up strike was ordered after a September incident, even when the Pentagon was aware of survivors.

While Hegseth equated the suspected drug traffickers to Al-Qaida terrorists, experts have pointed out notable differences between these threats and the corresponding strategies 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.