By Sama Marwan,
The American newspaper The Hill reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the Philippines, the first stop in his maiden Asian tour on Friday, for talks focused on strengthening deterrence against any aggression in the disputed South China Sea, according to a Philippine official.
Hegseth will be in Manila on March 28-29 to meet with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The discussions will address China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and the “greater support” provided by the Trump administration to Philippine security forces, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez told The Associated Press.
In the United States, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later confirmed that Hegseth would first visit Hawaii to meet with civilian and military leaders at the Indo-Pacific Command, then tour U.S. military facilities in Guam and receive briefings on capabilities before flying to the Philippines and Japan.
Parnell stated that Hegseth “will reinforce security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with U.S. and Philippine troops. In Japan, he will participate in an 80th-anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima and meet with Japanese leaders and U.S. military personnel.” He added, without further details, that “the Secretary, as always, looks forward to some top-tier physical training with the troops!”
He emphasized that “these visits will advance ongoing efforts to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in pursuit of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.” This trip “comes as the United States builds unprecedented cooperation with like-minded nations to enhance regional security.”
The newspaper pointed out that Trump’s “America First” foreign policy has raised concerns about the scope and depth of the U.S. commitment to the region in his new term.
