US will ‘ensure deterrence’ in Taiwan Strait: Hegseth
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The news: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US will guarantee "robust, ready and credible deterrence" across the Taiwan Strait while reinforcing the US’ alliance with Japan during his visit to Tokyo on Sunday.
The numbers: There are around 50,000 US military personnel currently positioned in Japan, as well as fighter squadrons and the US’ only permanently stationed aircraft carrier strike group.
The context: Speaking to Japanese Defence Minister General Nakatani at a meeting, Hegseth said the US and Japan “share a warrior ethos that defines our forces…Japan is our indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” including across the Taiwan Strait.
As a “cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said that the country is pivotal to tackling Chinese aggression and that the US will implement plans to upgrade its military presence in Japan.
The plans include placing a combined operational commander in the country, who would be a counterpart to the head of a joint operation command established by the Japan’s Self-Defence Forces last week. Japan recently doubled its defence spending, including purchasing longer-range missiles.
Hegseth and Nagatani agreed to speed up plans to jointly produce advanced missiles, and the Pentagon chief said the US has requested access to Japan’s strategic southwest islands in the contested East China Sea near Taiwan.
While President Donald Trump’s America First policy has raised concerns that the country may step back from defence efforts across Asia-Pacific, Hegseth’s comments indicate that Trump is pushing back on increased Chinese aggression.
Hegseth criticised the former Biden administration of creating a “vacuum, a perception that America was not strong, and wasn't prepared to deter conflicts from starting,” across the region. He added that the US’ “job” is “re-establishing deterrence. Peace through strength, with America in the lead, is back.”
The comments come one week after revelations that Hegseth discussed details of imminent US strikes on Houthi groups in Yemen using a Signal group chat which included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
