U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on May 30 called for allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region to bolster their armed forces to help counterbalance China’s military expansion.
“When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said in a speech before the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “We share a clear-eyed assessment of that security environment and a mutual understanding that a Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve.”
“For too long, the security of this region has rested disproportionately on American military power, while many of our allies and partners allowed their own defense capabilities to atrophy,” he said. “That’s a bad deal for the American taxpayer and it’s an unsustainable crutch for our allies and partners. Instead, we are all best off when, based on our comparative advantages, we all contribute to the shared goal of peace.”
Hegseth credited South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for his commitment to increase South Korea’s military spending to 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product.
“The region will be far more stable and more secure when other allies and partners follow that path,” he said.
In recent years, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have formed a trilateral military partnership—known as AUKUS—which could weigh on the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Established in 2021, AUKUS initially entailed coordination between the United States and the UK to help equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
U.S. support for partners in the Indo-Pacific may face some constraints.
Though he describes China’s military expansion as a cause for concern in the Indo-Pacific region, Hegseth said the United States is not seeking an unnecessary confrontation but will defend its interests in the region, which he described as “significant” but “also scoped and reasonable.”
Hegseth noted President Donald Trump’s recent visit to China, and said U.S.–China relations are “better than they’ve been in many years.”
“President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China,” he added.