Singapore: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will embark on a trip to Singapore this week to attend an annual defense forum and other meetings on its sidelines as Washington pursues a "shared regional vision for peace, stability, and deterrence," the Pentagon said Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hegseth is set to depart Wednesday for Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in the city-state. This will mark his second official visit to the Indo-Pacific, following his first trip to the region in March. On Saturday, the secretary plans to deliver plenary remarks at the forum.
During his stay in Singapore, Hegseth is slated to meet with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other senior Singaporean officials. He will also convene a multilateral meeting with his counterparts from Southeast Asia and join several trilateral and multilateral meetings with his counterparts from several Asian countries.
"Secretary Hegseth's second trip to the Indo-Pacific comes as the Department of Defense continues to strengthen U.S. relationships with allies and partners in support of a shared regional vision for peace, stability, and deterrence," the Pentagon stated in a press release.
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the U.S., Japan, Australia, and the Philippines were in talks to arrange a four-way defense ministerial meeting on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
South Korea's acting Defense Minister Kim Sun-ho will not attend the forum, Seoul officials said, as the country is set to pick a new president in the June 3 election. Instead, Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae is expected to join the forum.
In March, the secretary visited the Indo-Pacific region, including stops in Japan and the Philippines.