Pete Hegseth blamed the previous Biden Administration for insufficient actions that emboldened aggressors like China.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" commitment to a defence treaty with the Philippines on Friday and pledged to deploy advanced capabilities to its partner to strengthen a deterrence against threats,

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that the U.S. intends to boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, during his visit to Manila, said that the United States will strengthen its military partnership with the Philippines to "reinforce deterrence" against "China's aggression" in the Indo-Pacific region,

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Americas ironclad commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines during his visit to Manila, stressing the importance of deterrence in the South China Sea