By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The United States will fortify the Indo-Pacific with the “most lethal fighting force in the world,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, outlining the Trump administration’s defense policy for the region.
“No one should question the resolve of the United States of America to defend our interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Hegseth said Tuesday in Hawaii during the first leg of his Pacific tour.
With emphasis on threats from China, Hegseth said the Pentagon will “reestablish deterrence” alongside the United States’ regional allies and partners.
Hegseth arrived in Hawaii on Monday for intelligence briefings and meetings with senior military officials at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
His next stop is Guam, where he will “focus on meeting with military and civilian leaders in addition to troops,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Tucker, public affairs officer for the Joint Region Marianas and Joint Task Force-Micronesia.
Hegseth is expected to tour the military facilities and receive capabilities briefs.
“Due to operational security concerns, I am unable to provide a detailed itinerary of his schedule,” Tucker said in an email.
From Guam, Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Philippines and Japan, where he will participate in a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima and will later meet with Japanese leaders and U.S. military forces.
Visiting the region for the first time as the defense department’s head, Hegseth said the U.S. remains “invested” in the Indo-Pacific.
“It's a vision in which our allies and partners are at the forefront of deterring aggression,” he said, adding that the Indo-Pacific “is more important than ever” because “it is the region of consequence.”
“We will work with our allies and our partners to deter the communist Chinese and their aggression in the Indo-Pacific,” the defense chief said, delivering remarks to alumni of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.
“A renewed focus on deterrence creates advantages for ourselves, our partners and our allies,” he added. “We will do this through the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective, most lethal fighting force in the world."
During his first term, President Donald Trump revived Washington's engagements in the Pacific island region after long years of neglect that paved the way for China's ingress. He hosted leaders of the freely associated states at the White House in 2019.
The Biden administration followed through, doubling the engagement with an increased presence and complementing the military buildup with economic assistance that sought to outdo China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The new Trump administration, however, cut the cord, dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, and along with it, the millions of dollars pledged to Pacific island nations as part of beefing up the domestic agenda.
"But America First does not mean America only or America alone, ignoring allies and partners. It means that our military-to-military relationships must make sense for the United States and for our friends," Hegseth said.
The USAID abolition sent mixed signals to island nations and security experts warned that China will fill the void it has created.
Hegseth said the U.S. will find and fix any imbalances. "We will right-size the obligations and responsibilities needed for modern deterrence and defense. In some cases, it will require even greater attention to the partnerships that matter the most."
He said Trump charged the defense with three main tasks: revive the warrior ethos, rebuild the military and reestablish deterrence.
"And that's why we're heading out into the Indo-Pacific, to talk to our allies and partners and meet with the troops," he said.
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