Hegseth set to make debut at Asia's premier defence forum

29/5/2025 6:04

U.S. Defense Secretary

Pete Hegseth will try to convince Asian defence leaders this

weekend that the United States is a more trusted partner for the

region than China, U.S. officials told Reuters, as questions

linger about the Trump administration's commitment to the

region.



Hegseth, who has spent a large portion of his first months

on the job focused on domestic issues, countering diversity,

equity and inclusion in the military and taking aim at the

press, will make his first extended remarks in Singapore on

Saturday about how he envisions U.S. defence policy in the

Indo-Pacific.



He will be addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's

premier security forum, which runs this year from May 31-June 1.

Defence ministers, senior military and security officials and

diplomats from around the world are expected to attend. French

President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote address on

Friday.



"Secretary Hegseth is going to make the case to Asian allies

about why the United States is a better partner than the CCP,"

said a senior U.S. defence official, speaking on condition of

anonymity.



The official, who was using an acronym for China's Communist

Party, said Hegseth had the opportunity to take advantage of

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun's expected absence from the

dialogue, where U.S. and Chinese delegates have locked horns in

previous years.



Hegseth's speech will be closely watched as it comes after

President Donald Trump has lashed out at traditional allies,

most recently with tariffs.



Hegseth has also roiled allies in Europe. In February, he

warned Europe against treating America like a "sucker" while

addressing a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.



"There's certainly uncertainty being expressed, and

sometimes I think it's probably fair to characterize it as a

concern," a second senior U.S. defence official said, referring

to anxiety among Asian allies.



General Dan Caine, the recently confirmed U.S. chairman of

the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is also expected to attend the

dialogue.



Some of the Trump administration's early moves in the

Indo-Pacific have raised eyebrows. The U.S. moved air defence

systems from Asia to the Middle East earlier this year as

tensions with Iran spiked - an effort which took 73 C-17

flights.



But Hegseth visited the Philippines and Japan in March, a

trip in which experts said the secretary stuck by the more

traditional importance of allies.



Ely Ratner, who was the Pentagon's top official on China

under the Biden administration, said allies in Asia were seeking

a consistent policy from Hegseth.



"The region will be watching closely as to whether the U.S.

secretary of defence that shows up at Shangri-la looks like the

one that travelled to the Philippines and Japan or has more of

the harder edge that we've seen from the Trump administration in

Europe," said Ratner.







ON THE GLOBAL STAGE



Hegseth, a former Fox News host, was only narrowly confirmed

as defence secretary in January. He has moved with stunning

speed to reshape the department, firing top generals and

admirals as he seeks to implement Trump's national security

agenda.



His leadership has been under intense scrutiny after it was

revealed that he shared sensitive war plans on Yemen's

Iran-aligned Houthis in two signal group chats. Trump has stuck

by him through the turmoil.



Hegseth will likely get a friendly audience at the

Shangri-La Dialogue, said Greg Poling, with the Center for

Strategic and International Studies think-tank.



"Asian allies, and particularly the Philippines, feel a lot

more reassured than our European allies, but there's always

going to be that voice in the back of their head," Poling said.



Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is co-leading a

bi-partisan delegation to the Shangri-la Dialogue, said her aim

was to reassure Asian allies that the United States was

committed, a message she said Hegseth was not capable of

delivering.



"He's only got this job because he sucked up to President

Trump and looked good on Fox News. So let's be clear about the

capabilities of the secretary of defence," Duckworth told

Reuters.