Trans-Pacific View | Security | Southeast Asia

Hegseth Seeks to Reassure Southeast Asia of US Security Commitment to the Region

Speaking at the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu, the U.S. secretary of war pledged to “defend our interests and the interests of our allies and partners.”

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Cebu, Philippines, Oct. 28, 2026.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth yesterday sought to reassure Southeast Asian counterparts on Wednesday of Washington’s commitment to the region, pledging that the superpower would “let our actions speak for themselves.”

Hegseth made the comments in an address to the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Cebu, Philippines, where he once again outlined President Donald Trump’s vision of a “more stable, secure, and prosperous Pacific.”

“The approach we’re taking we described as strong, quiet, and clear – strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation or public theatrics,” he said, according to the official transcript of his remarks.

In line with this approach, the U.S. would “let our actions speak for themselves, but clear enough that our friends, our partners, and potential adversaries understand precisely where the United States stands and that we will defend our interests and the interests of our allies and partners.”

To support that, Hegseth said that the U.S. would back that commitment with practical cooperation, such as “strengthening maritime domain awareness, improving interoperability, and advancing cooperation among our navies.”

“These are not symbolic things. They are concrete demonstrations of what serious partners do,” he added. “Serious partners train together, learn together, plan together and build confidence and competence necessary to prevent conflict.”

Hegseth also proposed that the two sides develop a “U.S.-ASEAN Framework for Defense Cooperation to act as a “practical framework” for cooperation in the coming years, although he did not offer any further details of the proposed pact.

Hegseth’s promise of “pragmatism, openness to dialogue, respect for counterparts, and proud nationalism,” a reiteration of the realist theme of his address to the Shangri-La Dialogue in May, in principle aligns well with ASEAN’s own modus operandi. But just how reassuring this would have been to Southeast Asian interlocutors attempting to deal with the volatility and caprice of the second Trump administration remains unclear.

Most Southeast Asian nations, and particularly those with outstanding maritime disputes with China, would........

© The Diplomat