Pete Hegseth, nominee for Secretary of Defense in the incoming U.S. administration under Donald Trump, said on the 14th (local time) that security cooperation should continue with Indo-Pacific allies.
“We will rebuild deterrence,” Hegseth said at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. “First and foremost, to defend our homeland, borders, and airspace, and second, to deter the Chinese Communist Party’s offensive in the Indo-Pacific.” “We will cooperate with our partners and allies,” he emphasized.
Hegseth added, “Finally, we will responsibly end war so that we can prioritize resources toward greater threats.”
The position is that this deterrence will be secured by creating a strong U.S. military.
“We can no longer rely on reputational deterrence,” Hegseth said. “We need real deterrence,” he said, adding, “Under the Trump administration, the Department of Defense will achieve peace through strength.”
Hegseth, whom President-elect Trump selected as the first Secretary of Defense in the second administration, is the most controversial figure among several cabinet members.
He graduated from Princeton University and Harvard University, served in the U.S. Army, and then began his career as a Fox News host. Although he was from the military, he was not a high-ranking official and had no experience running an organization, so controversy arose over his ineligibility. In addition, criticism intensified as his past actions became known, including the fact that he was investigated by the police on suspicion of sexual assault.
(Washington = Newsis)
Source: www.donga.com
