US Defense Chief Urges Wealthy Allies to Shoulder More Security Costs
Addressing participants at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 in Singapore, Hegseth outlined an alliance strategy focused on greater burden-sharing and increased self-sufficiency among partner nations.
“The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over. We need partners, not protectorates,” Hegseth said.
He characterized the policy as a move toward “shared responsibility, not dependency,” arguing that modern security challenges require allies to contribute more actively to collective defense efforts.
According to Hegseth, President Donald Trump has consistently emphasized that alliances remain effective only when all members make meaningful contributions.
“It’s a two-way street,” he said. “You don’t have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game.”
The defense secretary pointed to defense spending and security commitments already undertaken by several Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.
“In this region, I am optimistic that our allies ... will step up and step up for real. In fact, we’re already seeing progress,” he said.
Hegseth also indicated that countries unwilling to increase their defense contributions could see adjustments in the nature of their security relationship with the United States, according to reports.
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