Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended on Saturday the strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean, and emphasised US President Donald Trump can take military action "as he sees fit" to defend the nation.
"If you are 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.