On January 14, US Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth attended a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to be approved for the above position. Mr. Hegseth, a former soldier and Fox News host, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon.
During the hearing, US senators asked Mr. Hegseth many difficult questions. In particular, Senator Tammy Duckworth tested whether Mr. Hegseth had the deep knowledge needed to lead international negotiations.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth asks a question at a hearing on January 14.
Duckworth, who was born in Thailand, asked Hegseth how many members the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has, asked him to name an ASEAN member country and describe the US's agreements with these countries, according to AP.
The candidate replied that he could not say exactly how many ASEAN members there were, 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.
“None of these three countries are part of ASEAN,” Duckworth said. “I suggest you do a little homework.”
US Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth at the hearing on January 14.
The question was raised by Ms. Duckworth after Mr. Pete Hegseth emphasized the strategic importance of the Indo- Pacific region.
ASEAN currently has 10 members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2022, the US upgraded its relationship with ASEAN to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
President Joe Biden has said that ASEAN is central to his administration’s Indo- Pacific strategy, and he will host an ASEAN leaders’ meeting 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 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), which accounts for more than 14% of global GDP. The CPTPP was preceded by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but the US withdrew from the trade pact in 2017.
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