Pete Hegseth, in his first television interview as secretary of war, said the protection of the U.S. homeland is his top mission and warned that attempts by narco‑terrorists to harm Americans will no longer be "tolerated." Hegseth described a shift to precision uses of American military power to disrupt drug trafficking networks and their funding.
Speaking with Fox News host Rachel Campos‑Duffy, Hegseth said the administration would "go on offense" to keep cartels from sustaining operations that allegedly poison American communities. "President Trump's locking the border down… now we go on offense to make sure these cartels can't be funded, that they can't sustain what they're doing," he said. He added that the approach would not commit U.S. forces to endless wars: "It doesn't mean we're fighting every cartel everywhere, endlessly… we're not trading one endless fight for another endless fight."
Hegseth's comments followed U.S. officials' public accounts of a lethal strike on a vessel they said contained members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. U.S. statements said the strike killed 11 alleged gang members; Venezuelan officials have disputed video footage of the event. President Donald Trump posted footage of the operation on Truth Social, and the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday released video showing the Coast Guard sinking a suspected drug boat and apprehending seven alleged smugglers over the weekend.
Hegseth said the War Department rebrand — the administration renamed the Defense Department the War Department earlier this year — reflects a desire to revive what he called a "warrior ethos." "Words matter, titles matter," he said. Hegseth invoked the original War Department founded in 1789 and noted the slogan of the first platoon he led: "Those who long for peace must prepare for war." He said the department's work aims to secure peace and protect U.S. national interests.
Campos‑Duffy previewed her interview from Joint Base Andrews and accompanied Hegseth aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima during a trip that included a stop in Puerto Rico. In the interview, Hegseth framed the department's efforts in the Western Hemisphere as targeted operations intended to "send very clear signals that narco‑terrorism will not be tolerated in our hemisphere, and… we're not doing it with kid gloves anymore."
The administration's use of military force in counter‑narcotics operations has drawn public attention and some political debate. Sen. Marco Rubio, R‑Fla., said the president "wants to wage war on Venezuelan drug traffickers," urging strong measures. Supporters argue the strikes and interagency maritime operations undercut criminal networks and their financial sources; critics raise questions about international law, the risk of escalation, and the accuracy of battlefield reporting, including disputed visual evidence.
Officials have not provided a complete public accounting of the intelligence that led to the strike on the Venezuelan vessel, and Venezuelan government statements contradict U.S. accounts. The War Department and the Department of Homeland Security have said their operations target traffickers who operate across maritime routes used to move illicit drugs and people. Hegseth said the department will continue to prioritize homeland defense while applying "the precise application of American power" to the problem.
Hegseth's interview marks a public moment for the new War Department chief as the administration continues to defend a more aggressive posture on border security and counter‑narcotics. He framed the policy as a continuation of securing the homeland rather than an expansion of perpetual overseas commitments, saying the aim is to disrupt the logistics and finances that allow transnational criminal organizations to operate.
The War Department has not released further operational details about the strike or a broader campaign plan. Hegseth said the department would continue coordinated operations with other agencies and partners in the hemisphere to target networks that contribute to violence and trafficking affecting the United States.