Hegseth reveals details on Venezuela drug vessel strike approval decision

War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday gave new details about how he personally authorized the Trump administration’s first strike against a suspected drug-trafficking ship off the coast of Venezuela on September 2, telling Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson that he watched the strike live at the Pentagon after giving the go-ahead.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Hegseth said President Donald Trump is the true heir to Ronald Reagan’s doctrine of “peace through strength,” accusing past bipartisan leaders of drifting toward endless wars.

After his speech, Hegseth sat down with Tomlinson for a question-and-answer session that revealed new details about the September 2 operation, which he said was the first in a series of more than 20 U.S. strikes targeting cartel-linked narcoterrorist networks across the Caribbean.

He also categorically rejected reports that he ordered U.S. forces to kill everyone on the boat.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. (Seals of Caylo/Getty Images)

“Is there anyone here from the Washington Post? I don’t know where you’re getting your sources from, but they suck,” Hegseth responded when asked if he had ever issued such an order. “Of course not…you don’t come in and say, ‘Kill them.’ It’s just ridiculous.”

Hegseth also said it took “a few weeks, almost a month” to gather the intelligence needed for the first strike. He said the Pentagon must redirect its resources which have been concentrated “16,000 miles on the other side of the world for a very long time.”

It maintained strike authority at its level only for the initial operation because of its “strategic implications.”

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers the opening remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. (Fox News/Pool)

“The briefing I received before this strike was extensive and comprehensive,” he said. “Military side, civilian side, lawyers, intelligence analysts, red team… all the details you need to hit a designated terrorist organization.”

Hegseth said the target was part of an organization that President Trump had officially designated as a terrorist group.

“My job was to decide whether to execute or not to execute,” he said.

He approved the strike.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers the opening remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. (Fox News/Pool)

According to Hegseth, he watched the mission feed “for probably about five minutes” before moving on to other tasks once the strike transitioned into tactical execution.

Hours later, Hegseth said he was informed by commanders that a second strike was necessary.

“There must have been another attack, because there were a few people who could still participate in the fight,” he said, citing access to radios, a possible link-up point with another boat and the remaining drugs on board.

“I fully support this strike,” he said. “I would have made the same call myself.”

He added that secondary attacks are common in combat zones and fall “largely under the authority of Admiral Bradley,” who now oversees strike decisions. Hegseth said he no longer retained approval authority for subsequent missions.

Responding to questions about survivor protocols, Hegseth pointed to a later incident involving a semi-submersible vessel containing drugs.

“In this particular case, the first shot wasn’t enough, and a few guys jumped and swam,” he said. After the ship was again struck and sunk, American forces recovered the survivors.

“We returned them to their host countries,” he said, adding that the situation “did not change our protocol” but reflected different circumstances.

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Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream interviews Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, at the Reagan National Defense Forum Saturday in Simi Valley, California. (Fox News)

Hegseth argued that the operations have already had a deterrent effect.

“We’re putting them at the bottom of the Caribbean. … It will make the American people safer,” Hegseth said.

Tomlinson emphasized President Trump’s public statement that he did not object to the release of the unexpurgated video of the first strike.

“We are currently reviewing it,” Hegseth said, citing concerns about “sources, methods” and ongoing operations.

Hegseth said defense spending is one of the issues that “keeps [him] “, adding that he was recently participating in Oval Office meetings regarding the FY 2026 and FY 2027 budgets.

When asked directly if defense spending as a share of GDP would increase, he replied, “I think that number is increasing,” while refusing to get ahead of President Trump.

“We need a revived defense industrial base,” he said. “We need these capabilities. We need them yesterday.”

Tomlinson also asked whether Hegseth regretted using Signal before combat operations in Yemen, referencing a recently concluded review by the inspector general.

“I don’t live with any regrets,” Hegseth said. “I know exactly where my compass is on our troops.” He argued that morale had improved under Trump.

“The rebirth of spirit within our military…the desire to enlist and re-enlist is at historic levels,” he said.

Asked if he preferred troops equipped with more AI-based tools or autonomous systems to replace them, Hegseth said the modern battlefield requires both.

“It has to be both,” he said. “What AI does at ten, 100, 1,000 times the speed of detection… is critical.”

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Tomlinson ended with a traditional Reagan Forum question, asking who Hegseth wants to win the Army-Navy game.

“Well, I’m with the Navy,” he said, before adding that the Marine Corps “stayed strong” during the political “absurdities” of recent years.