Speaking at the Ronald Reagan National Library’s annual defense forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth drew parallels between the military doctrines of President Ronald Reagan and President Donald J. Trump. He underscored what he views as the current administration’s commitment to rebuilding and strengthening the U.S. armed forces.

“President Trump is hellbent on maintaining and accelerating the most powerful military the world has ever seen. The most powerful, the most lethal and American-made, the arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth said.

He added that the War Department is prioritizing fundamentals such as readiness, discipline, standards, accountability and what he called the restoration of the warrior ethos.

Emphasis on America First Principles

Hegseth reiterated the administration’s America First approach, stating that the department intends to avoid open-ended foreign entanglements while focusing on national security, sovereignty and the prosperity of U.S. citizens.

“To achieve these goals, we are leaving behind utopian idealism and replacing it with hard-nosed realism,” he said.

Hegseth’s address centered on four lines of effort: defending the U.S. homeland and its hemisphere, deterring China through strength, increasing burden sharing among allies and accelerating the American defense industrial base.

Homeland Defense and Border Security

On the first pillar, Hegseth said the department has made border security a top priority since January 20, stating that the War Department has surged forces to support the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border.

According to Hegseth, these efforts have driven illegal border crossings “to virtually zero.” He said the department is supporting law enforcement in deporting dangerous criminals and working closely with Mexican counterparts to counter illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

He also said the department views the U.S. border as the…