What Happened
US Secretary of Defense Commends Regional Partners for Military Upgrades
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commended Indo-Pacific nations for their efforts to improve defense capabilities and increase spending, citing the need for a balance of power in the region. Hegseth praised countries such as Australia, Japan, and the Philippines for their progress, while also acknowledging the concerns of regional partners about China’s military buildup. The US is working towards a durable balance of power in the region, where no single country can dominate. This was reported by Breaking Defense.