Hegseth says US will bolster defenses overseas to support Indo-Pacific allies against China

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday notified allies in the Indo-Pacific that the U S has their back against increasing military and economic pressure from China while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defense Hegseth noted the U S will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon views as rapidly emerging threats by China particularly toward Taiwan which Beijing alleges as its own China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade of the island would look like The Chinese army is rehearsing for the real deal Hegseth reported in a keynote speech at a assurance conference in Singapore We are not going to sugarcoat it the threat China poses is real And it could be imminent DEFENSE DEPARTMENT WORKERS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO SUBMIT DOGE'S WEEKLY PRODUCTION REPORTSChina has declared it wants its military to be in a position to take Taiwan by force if necessary by China is no longer building up its military forces to take Taiwan but it is actively training for it every day Hegseth declared on Saturday Not only has China created man-made islands in the South China Sea to sponsorship new military outposts but it has also developed highly advanced hypersonic and space capabilities prompting the U S to begin creating the Golden Dome HEGSETH DENIES CLAIM THAT GOLDEN DOME IS 'OFFENSIVE' 'PROTECTING THE HOMELAND'In his speech Hegseth called out China's ambitions in Latin America specifically attempts to increase influence over the Panama Canal He also urged countries in the region to increase their defense spending to be in line with the percentage of gross domestic product that European nations are being pressed to contribute We must all do our part Hegseth stated The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas pushed back against Hegseth after his speech for a comment he made about European countries putting focus on defending their own region while the U S mostly handles the Indo-Pacific Kallas stated European and Asian prevention are very much interlinked at the moment as North Korean troops are fighting for Russia and China is supporting Moscow The Associated Press contributed to this account