US Defense Secretary proposes expanded defense cooperation with ASEAN

ISTANBUL – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday called for an “ambitious” defense cooperation framework with the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Calling the 50th anniversary of US-ASEAN ties next year an “important milestone,” Hegseth told the assembled ASEAN defense chiefs: “And in recognition of this milestone, we propose that we work together to develop a US-ASEAN framework for defense cooperation – a practical framework that guides our cooperation over the next several years.”

He stressed what he called “a critically important next several years,” addressing a joint meeting with defense chiefs of the 11-member bloc in Cebu City, the Philippines, which serves as ASEAN’s current chair.

“The approach we're taking we describe as strong, quiet, and clear. Strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation or public theatrics, and to let our actions speak for themselves,” Hegseth said as his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, skipped the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus this year.

Beijing instead assigned its military attache at the Chinese Embassy in Manila to represent China at the summit.

“We're not going to agree on everything, nor do we need to,” Hegseth told his ASEAN counterparts.

“But an agreement on the fundamentals is enough to support practical cooperation where our shared interests are overlapping and are clear.”

Hegseth said the US will work with Singapore, as the city-state takes the ASEAN helm next year, on the proposed framework for defense cooperation and “as we look to the future in this region, I'd like us to be even more ambitious.”

The meetings in Cebu City mark the 20th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus, which also brings together the defense chiefs of China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and India, although China this year did not send its defense minister.