On January 14, US Secretary of Defense candidate Pete Hegseth attended a hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee to be approved for the above position. Mr. Hegseth was a former soldier and Fox News host, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of Pentagon leader.
At the hearing, US senators raised many difficult questions for Mr. Hegseth. In it, senator Tammy Duckworth tested whether Mr. Hegseth had the extensive knowledge needed to lead international negotiations.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth asked questions at the hearing on January 14
According to AP, Ms. Duckworth, who was born in Thailand, asked Mr. Hegseth how many members the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has, asked to name an ASEAN member country and describe the agreement. of the US with these countries.
The candidate replied that it was impossible to say the exact number of ASEAN members, but “I know we have allies in Korea and Japan, in AUKUS with Australia”. AUKUS is a defense cooperation agreement between the US, UK and Australia.
With the above answer, Ms. Duckworth said: “None of the three countries above belong to ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework.”
US Secretary of Defense candidate Pete Hegseth at the hearing on January 14
The question was asked by Ms. Duckworth after Mr. Pete Hegseth emphasized the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region.
ASEAN currently has 10 members including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2022, the US will upgrade relations with ASEAN to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
President Joe Biden has said that ASEAN is central to his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy. He once chaired the ASEAN leaders’ conference in Washington DC in 2022.
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ASEAN is at the heart of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which also includes China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. RCEP participating countries account for more than 30% of the world’s population and about 30% of global GDP.
Many ASEAN members are also members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), accounting for more than 14% of global GDP. The predecessor of CPTPP was the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), but the US withdrew from this trade agreement in 2017.
