3 days ago
US Defence Secretary Hegseth tells Asian allies to up defence expenditure to match Europe's 5% of GDP
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking at the first plenary session on United States' new ambitions for Indo-Pacific security at Shangri-la Dialogue 2025 on May 31. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 US Defence Secretary Hegseth tells Asian allies to up defence expenditure to match Europe's 5% of GDP
SINGAPORE -- The US expects Asian countries to increase their defence spending to match levels that Washington expects of European allies, since they bear the brunt of the 'threat' of China and North Korea in their backyards.
That was the message that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth brought on May 31 to the leading annual forum of global security and defence leaders in the Asia Pacific at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue.
'It is hard to believe I can say this – but Asian allies and partners should look to countries in Europe as a new-found example. Nato members are pledging to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, even Germany,' the former Fox News presenter said.
Mr Hegseth communicated to European allies this expectation at the Munich Security Conference in February.
'How can it make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies and partners in Asia spend far less in the face of a far more formidable threat from Communist China, not to mention North Korea?' he added.
'Ultimately, a strong, resolute, and capable network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage. China envies what we have together.'
Since the Trump administration returned to office at the turn of 2025, Washington has been doubling down on its demands that its allies should bear a greater responsibility for their conventional defences and cannot expect the US to bear the financial burden alone.
For a generation, the US ignored the Indo-Pacific, but under the Trump administration, 'we are here to stay', Mr Hegseth said.
Like Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, 'President Trump's approach is grounded in common sense and national interests, built on a willingness to work with others while respecting mutual self-interest, and informed by an understanding of military strength but shaped by a preference for engaging on the basis of commerce and sovereignty — not war,' he said.
He added: 'These two historic men share a willingness to challenge old ways of doing things that no longer make sense. Under President Trump's leadership, we are applying this common sense approach here in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world.'
While China is reportedly the world's second largest defence spender in the world after the US, Beijing's reported defence expenditure typically does not exceed 1.5 per cent of its GDP, compared to the 3.5 per cent that the US typically maintains every year.
In 2024, Singapore said it plans to cap its defence outlay to about 3 per cent of its GDP annually on average for the next decade.
The US is bounded by treaty to defend the Philippines when the South-east Asian archipelago is under attack and has been deeply committed to the defence of Taiwan, a self-governing territory that Beijing claims as its own to be reunified by force if necessary.
Clement Tan is an assistant foreign editor at The Straits Times. He helps to oversee coverage of South Asia, the US, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.
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