Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth travels to Asia this week for meetings with allied leaders and American troops during his first overseas visit as the Pentagon’s most senior civilian leader.
On Monday, Mr. Hegseth will make the first stop in Hawaii for briefings at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Other stops on the six-day trip include the U.S. island of Guam, a key military hub in the Pacific, and visits to the Philippines and Japan, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“These engagements will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said, noting the visit comes as the United States is building unprecedented cooperation with like-minded nations to bolster regional security.
In Hawaii, Mr. Hegseth will meet with Adm. Sam Paparo, commander of the Indo-Pacific Command and hold meetings with military and civilian leaders. He also is set to talk to U.S. troops.
On Thursday, the secretary is scheduled to visit Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, where he plans to see U.S. military facilities on the island.
Guam is a major military hub for both Navy warships and submarines and Air Force jets and B-52 bombers. It is also a major supply depot for missiles and bombs that would be used in any future military contingency in Asia.
Also, on Thursday Mr. Hegseth is set to travel to the Philippines, a key U.S. ally that has been locked in a tense military standoff with China over disputed reefs in the South China Sea.
China’s navy and maritime militia have been harassing Philippines’ government efforts to resupply a grounded navy vessel on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.
The ship is being used as a military base by the Philippines and China has been pressuring Manila to remove it.
Beijing is claiming most of the South China Sea, a major international shipping route. as its territory despite an international court ruling that rejected the claim as illegal.
Mr. Parnell said the secretary will seek to advance security objectives in meetings in the Philippines.
The secretary also expects to join in physical training with Americans during the overseas travel.
The secretary is expected to meet with Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. while in Manila to discuss “more significant support” for Philippine security forces, according to Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Asian country’s ambassador to the U.S.
The high-level visit comes a month before U.S. and Philippines military forces hold the large-scale Balikatan — Tagalog for shoulder to shoulder — annual combat exercises that will include live-fire drills.
Recent exercises by the two forces have been held near the South China Sea and the sea border between the Philippines and Taiwan.
After the Philippines visit, Mr. Hegseth will travel to Japan for talks with Japanese and U.S. civilian and military leaders.
Travel plans also call for Mr. Hegseth to make a stop at the small Japanese island of Iwo Jima for a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II battle, Mr. Parnell said.
The five-week battle on the volcanic island southeast of the main island of Honshu claimed the lives of 6,821 U.S. Marines and more than 17,800 Japanese troops.
One notable omission for Mr. Hegseth’s visit to the region is South Korea, where 24,000 American troops are based.
South Korea is currently undergoing a period of political uncertainty after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s temporary declaration of martial law and subsequent prosecution.
South Korea and Japan are normally two stops that all defense secretaries make during travel to Asia.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Jeon Ha-gyu told reporters last week that a visit to South Korea by Mr. Hegseth is “under discussion,” but that “postponement was unavoidable due to scheduling on the U.S. side.”
Mr. Yoon is facing impeachment and a decision is expected soon on whether he will return to presidential duties or an election will be ordered.
A Pentagon spokesman said South Korea remains a major strategic ally in Asia.
Mr. Hegseth stated in a message to all U.S. forces in January that his tenure at the Pentagon will be devoted to pursuing President Trump’s call to “put America first.”
“The president gave us a clear mission: achieve peace through strength,” he stated. “We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”
“We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the president’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats,” he said. “We will stand by our allies — and our enemies are on notice.”
Chinese state media noted Mr. Hegseth’s visit to the Philippines and the lack of a South Korean stop on his itinerary as a sign of America’s intentions toward Beijing.
The Chinese Communist Party-affiliated outlet Global Times said the omission of South Korea “demonstrates the U.S. intention to target China and is likely to encourage the Philippines to take further provocative actions against China.”
China has sought to exploit the political unrest in South Korea to advance its bid to support pro-China political forces in the country, according to analysts.
