Cebu City in Southeast Asian nation is hosting summit of ASEAN defense chiefs as well as its partner nations
Photo Courtesy: ANADOLU
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held talks with his counterparts from India, Australia, Japan and South Korea on the sidelines of a meeting in the Philippines, according to official statements.
In a bilateral meeting, Hegseth and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh “took stock of progress on operational coordination, information sharing, and defense industrial cooperation,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The meeting took place in Cebu City, which is hosting the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting through Thursday. The defense chiefs of the 11-member bloc will also hold separate summits with partner nations including the US, India, South Korea, and Australia as well as Japan.
China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun skipped the summit, with the defense attache of China’s Embassy in Manila attending in his stead.
Hegseth and Singh also “exchanged views on areas for further collaboration and committed to expanding the U.S.-India major defense partnership in support of shared interests across the region.”
During his meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, the two leaders discussed ongoing initiatives to strengthen defense cooperation and the US-Australia alliance.
They “agreed on the need to swiftly execute force posture collaboration, including investments at Australian air force bases and investments to enhance combined logistics capacity,” the statement said.
The two leaders also “discussed opportunities to better coordinate on U.S. and Australian approaches to regional deterrence and support common-sense strategies to preserve a favorable balance of power in the Pacific.”
In his meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Hegseth “reaffirmed the indispensable role of the U.S.-Japan Alliance in preserving peace and stability in the Pacific,” the Pentagon said.
The two leaders also discussed “efforts to strengthen deterrence through enhanced bilateral access, presence, and realistic training and exercises across Japan, including live-fire exercises.”
The Pentagon chief also met South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul.
The US-South Korea alliance “is built on peace through strength-ready forces, decisive capability, and combined lethality that deters aggression,” Hegseth wrote on US-based social media platform X.
“America stands with allies that are serious about their own defense,” he said.
