[U.S. Defense Secretary in Singapore 'Collects Debts': Everyone Must Increase Military Spending]
U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth delivered a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where the central theme became "collecting debts." Hegseth publicly declared on stage that this year the United States will raise its military budget to $1.5 trillion, and allies in the Indo-Pacific region must increase their defense spending to 3.5% of their GDP.
Hegseth further asserted: "The era of U.S. subsidizing wealthy nations' defense has ended; free-riding is no longer acceptable in the future, and allies must take greater responsibility for their own defense." Even more telling, Hegseth openly mocked: "Hold fewer meetings, produce more weapons and warships."
This viewpoint fully reflects current U.S. defense policy. In Trump’s view, many allies are "vampires"—they rely solely on American protection while diverting more resources into economic and trade sectors to compete with the United States. This must be completely changed: national security must be self-managed. The U.S. seeks partners, not burden-bearing "protected" states.
Although Hegseth did not explicitly name which Indo-Pacific allies should increase military spending during his speech, it is clear that countries such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines are inevitably included. Notably, this explains why the U.S. has consistently favored Israel—Israel maintains exceptionally high military expenditures and strong self-defense capabilities. During the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, Israel directly joined the frontlines alongside the United States. Hegseth has repeatedly praised Israel, whereas other allies have disappointed Trump—especially Europe, whose leaders seem to spend all their time in meetings rather than building military strength.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866608340601991/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.