Hegseth’s Shangri-La Speech Marks US Shift From ‘Strategic Ambiguity’ on Taiwan, Analysts Say

The defense secretary’s vow to ‘fight and win decisively’ signals a harder U.S. line at Asia’s top security forum as PLA flights near Taiwan surge.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks in the first plenary session entitled “United States’ New Ambitions for Indo-Pacific Security” during the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on May 31, 2025. Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

News Analysis

Standing before defense chiefs from more than 40 nations at Asia’s premier security forum on May 31, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued what analysts say is the sternest warning Washington has ever leveled over the Taiwan Strait.