ANKARA (Bernama-Anadolu): United States (US) Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that wealthy US allies must take on a greater share of defence responsibilities, declaring that Washington will no longer subsidise their security, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 in Singapore, Hegseth said the US is pursuing a new alliance model centred on burden-sharing and self-reliance among partner nations.
"The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over. We need partners, not protectorates,” Hegseth said.
He described the approach as a shift towards "shared responsibility, not dependency”, arguing that alliances must evolve to meet future security challenges.
Hegseth said President Donald Trump has been clear that alliances work only when all members contribute meaningfully to collective defence.
"It’s a two-way street,” he said. "You don’t have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game.”
Hegseth said the administration is encouraged by defence commitments already made by several Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
"In this region, I am optimistic that our allies ... will step up and step up for real. In fact, we’re already seeing progress,” he said.
Hegseth also warned that countries unwilling to increase their contributions could face changes in their relationship with Washington.
"Allies who refuse to step up and carry their own weight for our collective defence will face a clear shift in how we do business,” he said.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
