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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed US partners in Asia to boost defence spending toward 5 per cent of gross domestic product, warning that more urgency is needed to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Speaking in Singapore, Hegseth acknowledged that many Asian nations try to balance economic ties with China and defence ties with the US. But he said those relationships complicate decisions during times of tension.
And he made clear that President Donald Trump's administration would apply the NATO model to the region — aggressively demanding countries spend more to defend themselves.
'NATO members are pledging to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence — even Germany,' Hegseth said Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'So it doesn't make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies in Asia spend less on defence in the face of an even more formidable threat, not to mention North Korea?'
The speech — his first major outline of Washington's approach to Indo-Pacific security — fit with a broad push by members of the Trump administration to shift their focus from Europe's defence to Asia and particularly China, which US officials have for years said is the premier threat facing the US.
It will also force tough decisions for many US allies and partners in Asia, which aren't spending anywhere close to 5 per cent of GDP on defence. As of last year, South Korea led the region with 2.6 per cent of GDP, followed by Taiwan, Australia, Japan and the Philippines, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The US also doesn't spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence, though it pours more into military spending than any other nation.
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In February, Hegseth chided past celebrations of the US military's diversity in a broad address to Pentagon staff, saying: "I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is 'our diversity is our strength'". The US Navy will rename an oil tanker that had been named after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, US officials have told Reuters. It's the military's latest move under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to root out diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2016, the US Navy said it would name one of its new class of oil tankers after Milk, a Navy veteran who later became one of the first openly gay people elected to public office in the US. The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021, as part of the John Lewis class of tankers. A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the directive for the change came from Hegseth's office. It was unclear when the renaming would actually take place, but the official noted that June is Pride Month, observed annually to honour the LGBTQ rights movement. Another official said it would not be surprising if additional ships in the John Lewis class were renamed, since other tankers honoured civil rights and human rights leaders. In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth was committed to ensuring names of military installations and equipment "are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos". "Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete," Parnell said. Milk served in the US Navy in 1951 as a diving officer during the Korean War. Elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors as the first openly gay California politician, he was killed in office in 1978. Since taking office in January, Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has eliminated diversity initiatives at the Pentagon, ended observances of identity celebrations such as Black History Month and removed some books from the Naval Academy, including the memoir of celebrated Black author Maya Angelou. US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X the move to change the tanker's name was "disgusting" and "blatant discrimination". "Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately," Schumer said X. In February, Hegseth chided past celebrations of the US military's diversity in a broad address to Pentagon staff, saying: "I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is 'our diversity is our strength'".
