Hegseth pitches new US-Asean defence framework, but doubts run deep
What are Southeast Asian nations doing to help the United States tackle its challenges? A reporter with the American right-wing organisation Turning Point USA put the question bluntly to US President Donald Trump’s defence chief this week in the Philippines. As US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth pitched closer naval ties and maritime security cooperation at a gathering of defence ministers from…
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed a new US-Asean defence framework during a meeting with ASEAN defence ministers in the Philippines. However, analysts doubt the proposal will produce a substantial framework given ASEAN's reluctance to choose sides and its consensus-based system. Hegseth urged his regional counterparts to develop a "practical" framework to deepen security cooperation between Washington and ASEAN, but did not offer details.
He described the US approach as "strong, quiet and clear" and said Washington was ready to work with Singapore, which will chair the next Asean meetings. On the sidelines, Hegseth called the relationship with ASEAN "not an aid exercise" and rejected the old framing of the relationship. Experts see little prospect of the proposal gaining traction at the bloc level, as Asean has long resisted choosing sides and balancing between the US and China.
Asean is an institution made up of 11 member states with unique national contexts, threat perceptions, priorities, and disparities in defence and security capacities. Any cooperation beyond the lowest common denominator is unlikely to be realistic at the Asean level.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
