U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held introductory calls with his counterparts in Japan and South Korea on Jan. 30, reaffirming U.S. security partnerships with both countries.
Hegseth was sworn in on Jan. 25 after narrowly winning Senate confirmation. In a statement to the military after taking office, he said the United States “will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo–Pacific by Communist China.”
In separate phone calls, Hegseth spoke to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Acting South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho.
According to a Pentagon readout, Hegseth and Nakatani “reiterated the importance of deepening defense cooperation to strengthen deterrence and to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo–Pacific region.”…