UNITED STATES Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended attacks on alleged drug cartel boats during remarks on Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Mr Hegseth said that President Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” to defend the nation as he dismissed criticism of the strikes, which have killed at least 87 people.

The former Fox News presenter turned politician faces intense scrutiny over his role in a September 15 follow-up attack on a fishing boat that killed all three people aboard, when it was sailing off Colombia’s Caribbean coast, in a possible violation of human rights conventions.

Mr Hegseth claimed the boat was trafficking drugs destined for the US.

Lawmakers have sought more answers about the attacks and their legal justification, and whether Mr Hegseth ordered a follow-up strike following the attack even after the Pentagon knew of survivors.

Mr Hegseth likened the fight to the war on terror following the September 11 2001 attacks.

“If you’re working for a designated terrorist organisation and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it,” Mr Hegseth said during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defence Forum.

“President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation’s interests. Let no country on Earth doubt that for a moment.”

Secretary Hegseth’s remarks came after the Trump administration released its new national security strategy that paints European allies as weak and aims to assert US dominance in the western hemisphere.

During the speech, Mr Hegseth also continued to hype up the cold war against China, saying the aim was to counter China’s rise through strength instead of conflict.

He repeated Mr Trump’s vow to resume nuclear testing on an equal basis as China and Russia even though neither has conducted explosive tests in decades.