On Saturday (December 6th), US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterated that Washington does not want any unilateral changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and warned US allies that avoiding collective defense responsibilities will have consequences.
During the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum held in Simi Valley, California last Saturday, Hegseth delivered a keynote speech, issuing a clear warning to US ally countries. He cautioned against continuing to “ride coattails,” refusing to adequately increase defense spending, and shirking collective defense responsibilities, stating that such nations will face consequences.
Hegseth cited South Korea, Israel, Poland, Germany, and Baltic countries as “model allies” in his speech, noting that these countries have committed to significantly increasing defense spending and have taken on or started to bear primary responsibility for their own security. He singled out allies like South Korea, which has pledged to raise defense spending to 3.5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for “special attention” from the US.
He stated, “Those model allies stepping up will receive our special attention; those allies still not contributing sufficiently to collective defense will face consequences.”
Hegseth emphasized that President Trump prefers to cooperate with “countries that can help themselves,” with partnerships built on mutual contributions rather than one-way reliance.
Regarding allies in the Indo-Pacific region, Hegseth expressed hope that other countries in the region will follow South Korea’s lead in increasing defense spending in the coming years.
Japan is currently planning to achieve its goal of defense spending accounting for 2% of GDP ahead of schedule next year, but the Pentagon has repeatedly urged allies to move closer to the “global standard” of 5%, with 3.5% dedicated to core military expenditures and 1.5% for security-related infrastructure.
In the recently released second-term National Security Strategy by Trump, Japan and other allies are explicitly called upon to “spend more” on defense and “assume primary defense responsibilities in the region.” The strategy reiterates the US’s insistence that allies correct the “enormous imbalance” of US spending exceeding other countries for decades.
Hegseth also previewed four key priorities in the upcoming National Defense Strategy: defending the US homeland and Western hemisphere, deterring China through strength rather than confrontation, pushing allies and partners to shoulder more responsibility, and revitalizing the US defense industrial base.
In terms of US policy towards China, Hegseth struck a more moderate tone, emphasizing that the US has no intention of stifling China’s growth, dominating or humiliating them, or changing the status quo in Taiwan.
He stated that US interests in the Indo-Pacific region are significant but also limited and reasonable, with the core objective being to build a strong “shield of defense” with allies to achieve “deterrence by denial,” ensuring that China cannot dominate the US or its allies.
He also referenced Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby’s 2021 work, “The Strategy of Denial: American defense in an age of great power conflict,” indicating that the Pentagon’s overall strategy will be based on it.
The recently released National Security Strategy reiterates that the US does not support any unilateral changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and will continue to maintain its long-standing policy, deterring Taiwan conflicts through military superiority.
The National Security Strategy specifically calls on Japan to focus on capabilities needed to protect the “first island chain” and to jointly construct a “burden-sharing network” with the US, aligning economic incentives and sharing burdens.
The strategy also emphasizes that cooperation with allies who have higher defense spending and play a larger role in regional defense will significantly enhance the ability to “reject any attempt to seize Taiwan.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, when asked about the US National Security Strategy in a press conference last Friday (December 5th), stated that Japan has been actively enhancing its defense capabilities but declined to comment further on the topic.
It is reported that Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi plans to visit the US next month and will focus on discussing defense spending and issues related to China with Hegseth.
According to analysts cited by Nikkei Asia, Hegseth’s speech is in line with the newly released National Security Strategy, indicating that the Trump administration will continue to prioritize “fair burden-sharing” as the core of its alliance policy, while maintaining a balance between “strength deterrence” and “non-confrontation” in its strategy towards China.