New U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to work with WashingtonтАЩs allies and partners Saturday in a message to the Defense Department as he took up his post at the Pentagon.
In the short message, Hegseth appeared to try and dispel concerns stewing in allied capitals such as Tokyo and Seoul that the U.S. under President Donald Trump could mean a return to a more transactional approach to foreign policy.
тАЬWe will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats,тАЭ Hegseth wrote in the letter. тАЬWe will stand by our allies тАФ and our enemies are on notice.тАЭ
