POLICY AND PUBLIC INTEREST
During a keynote address that officials described as an early preview of the War Department’s pending National Defense Strategy, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on January 6 presented a four-part framework aimed at securing what he called peace through strength for the United States and its allies in the years ahead
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…
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Two West Virginia Guardsmen critically injured as federal and local authorities move swiftly to reinforce security in the capital
By Sandy Di Angelis / Associate WriterWashington is set to receive a surge of additional security personnel after President Donald J. Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy 500 more National Guardsmen to the capital. The decision follows the shooting of two West Virginia National Guardsmen near the White House on Monday afternoon, an attack officials described as a deliberate act of violence targeting service members.
Hegseth announced the order from the steps of the Dominican Republic’s National Palace, where he had spent the afternoon in high-level meetings with senior government officials. He said he was notified of the incident immediately after those talks concluded.
According to Hegseth, the two guardsmen were “critically wounded by a shooter” in what he called a “cowardly, dastardly act targeting the best of America.” He emphasized that the attack would not deter federal efforts to stabilize the city. “It will not stand, and that’s why President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard to add 500 additional troops — National Guardsmen — to Washington, D.C.,” he said.
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