Xinhua, Washington, Dec 6 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel said on December 6 in California that the Trump administration would "put national interests first," emphasizing that the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere are priorities for national security.

Hagel made the speech on the same day at the annual Reagan Defense Forum, expressing support for the new national security strategy released by the White House on the evening of the 4th. He stated that the United States should "abandon idealistic utopian ideas and embrace pragmatic realism," rather than "be distracted by democratic building, interventionism, unclear wars, regime change, climate change, woke moral preaching, and irresponsible nation-building." "We will put our national interests first."

Hagel said that the Trump administration will "naturally prioritize our homeland and the Western Hemisphere," and the military will take more part in patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. will restore its military dominance in the Western Hemisphere. He also called on America's allies to increase defense spending, saying, "Threats in other regions still exist, and our allies need to take real and concrete actions." "Allies are not children; we can and should expect them to fulfill their responsibilities."

Hagel also said that the U.S. will vigorously develop its defense industrial base and make new investments in ships, drones, and air defense systems.

In the Q&A session after the speech, Hagel continued to defend the U.S. military's second strike against survivors on a so-called drug-smuggling ship in the Caribbean Sea in September, stating that he ordered the strike and supported the commander's second strike. He also denied reports that he had instructed the U.S. military to "kill everyone on board."

At the beginning of September, the U.S. military struck a so-called drug-smuggling ship in the Caribbean Sea and then conducted a second attack, resulting in the death of 11 people on board. After the Washington Post reported the news, it triggered protests from numerous members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties, who questioned whether the attack violated the law and constituted a war crime. (End)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7580959495703937571/

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