US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed the creation of an “ambitious” new US-Asean defense framework on Wednesday, telling the bloc’s leaders it could help them navigate “critically important” years ahead.
The United States has been seeking to boost its regional defense partnerships in recent years, citing the need to uphold what it terms a “free and open Indo-Pacific” as China has increasingly flexed its muscles in the region.
Hegseth, speaking before a meeting with defense chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cebu, praised what he called the region’s “pragmatism” and “proud nationalism.”