Hegseth gave his address, which ran for more than an hour, at the National War College. It delved much more into military minutia than a previous big speech to hundreds of military leaders abruptly summoned to a base in Virginia, where he declared an end to “woke” culture and announced “gender-neutral” directives for troops.

D efense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces had attacked a vessel operated by “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean, killing three people on board. The U.S. has stepped up its efforts to counter drug trafficking in the waters off South America, saying the American public has to be protected from the scourge of narcotics.