War Secretary Hegseth demands Pacific partners pull their weight

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to America’s Pacific allies Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, declaring that the era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is officially over. Speaking at Asia's premier defense summit, Hegseth outlined the Trump administration's "return to realism" in the Indo-Pacific. He emphasized that the U.S. is shifting its strategy away from managing "protectorates" and moving toward true partnerships that require nations to contribute their fair share of regional responsibility.