Hegseth Heads to Singapore to Underscore US Commitment to Indo-Pacific

Defense officials say the Chinese communist regime is ramping up its aggression in the region.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on May 27, 2025. Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth set off to Singapore on May 28 for a series of meetings that he said would “ensure that [the] region understands America will be strong.”

“We seek no conflict with anybody, including the communist Chinese, but we will deter that,” he said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before departure.