WASHINGTON —

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, now referred to by the Trump administration as War Secretary, is defending controversial military strikes off of Venezuela's coast, dismissing criticism and asserting the president's power to defend the nation by taking any necessary military action "as he sees fit."

At the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday, Hegseth compared the fight against drug smuggling to the war on terror following the 9/11 attacks. And, despite scrutiny from legal experts and lawmakers concerned that the second strike in September's attack may have violated international wartime laws, Hegseth has repeatedly defended the action, claiming he did not see any survivors after the initial strike due to the "fog of war."

"Right now the world is seeing the strength of

See Full Page