Hegseth declares end of US 'utopian idealism' cold war interfaring over.

Defence affairs ~ Reagan Defense Forum

“Allies are not children,” he said. “We can and should expect them to do their part.” 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday launched a full-throated attack on post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy, castigating former presidents and generals by name while declaring the age of American “utopian idealism” over.

Hegseth, speaking at the annual Reagan Defense Forum, outlined a new military focus on the Western Hemisphere, demanded allies fend for themselves and took a more conciliatory approach to China’s armed forces.

His remarks underscored the new National Security Strategy released late Thursday and previewed the Pentagon’s own upcoming strategy, which will lay out the military’s global priorities.

“Out with idealistic utopianism,” he said. “In with hard-nosed realism.”

The Defense secretary’s speech revealed an administration moving toward a policy that recognizes zones of influence led by great powers — China in the Pacific, the U.S. in the Western Hemisphere and Europe broadly, although he made only a passing reference to Russia.

The U.S. should not be “distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation-building,” Hegseth said. “We will instead put our nation’s practical, concrete interests first.”

The Pentagon chief also used the defense industry-focused forum to more forcefully outline the Trump administration’s strategic refocus closer to home. It comes amid a military campaign in the Caribbean that has sunk more than 20 small boats allegedly carrying drugs and killed around 80 people. The administration has said it is combating “narco-terrorists,” though some lawmakers and experts have decried it as illegal.

Hegseth also suggested the military would become more involved in patrolling the southern border with Mexico. “We’ll secure the border in part by organizing training and equipping units specifically for border defense missions, including operations in the land, maritime and air,” he said.

While defense strategies in recent years have focused on deterring China, Hegseth suggested the upcoming one would take a softer approach.

“President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade and respectful relations with China,” he said. The U.S. will follow a policy of “respecting the historic military buildup [China is] undertaking,” he added, while the Pentagon “maintains a clear-eyed appreciation of how rapid, formidable and holistic their military buildup has been.”

Hegseth praised countries such as South Korea, Poland and Germany for increasing defense spending in recent years, citing President Donald Trump’s push to ensure countries pay more on their own defense.