Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the hundreds gathered at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley on Saturday, Dec. 6, that President Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” to keep the nation safe and said naval strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean are forcing smugglers to change how they operate.

The comments were delivered in his keynote address, and a Q&A that followed, before hundreds gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for its 12th annual forum, which brings representatives of defense and technology companies, many based in Southern California, together to rub shoulders and exchange ideas with lawmakers, senior Department of Defense leadership, and foreign defense leaders.

As part of his 30-plus-minute keynote

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