America’s latest defence strategy worryingly downgraded the importance of the Indo-Pacific, a US senator warned on Saturday, even as the Pentagon chief delivered a speech reassuring allies of commitment at a defence forum in Singapore.
Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a staunch critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran, told a media round table at the Shangri-La Dialogue that she was concerned the Trump administration was being distracted by conflict in other theatres that would dent commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
The Democrat added that the defence strategy reduced the region’s importance, contrary to the policy adopted by US President Donald Trump during his first term.
“I worry that this administration is being distracted into wars that they started in other parts of the world at the expense of our commitment here in the Indo-Pacific,” Duckworth said.
Her remarks come as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told attendees at Asia’s premier security summit on Saturday that the US remained committed to the region to ensure the Pacific remained free of any dominant hegemony.
Hegseth said a core national defence strategy was to increase burden-sharing with American allies and partners while empowering them to contribute to collective defence.
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