SINGAPORE — Defense leaders from the United States and Southeast Asia convened in Singapore on Friday for high-level talks ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security forum.
The United States–Southeast Asia Defense Ministerial Meeting included Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Discussions centered on boosting defense ties and addressing mutual security concerns across the Indo-Pacific, such as maritime safety, terrorism, cyber threats, and disaster response.
Teodoro underscored the importance of America’s continued presence in the region, particularly in supporting smaller ASEAN states. He also highlighted opportunities for enhanced collaboration in areas like emerging technologies and defense capacity-building.
Teodoro is scheduled to speak on June 1 during the Sixth Plenary Session of the Shangri-La Dialogue, where he will tackle the topic of cross-regional security linkages.