KUALA LUMPUR: Testing nuclear capabilities is only prudent, says United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
"Testing these capabilities is considered 'only prudent’," he told reporters before attending the Asean-US Defence Ministers' High-Tea on Saturday (Nov 1).
Asked whether the US has regained the trust of regional partners, Hegseth said the US never lost the confidence of regional partners.
"We are emphasising a strong and continuous focus on the Indo-Pacific region, asserting a long-standing presence. We have never gone and aren't going anywhere," he said.
He also expressed pride in existing partnerships within Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus and Asean as a whole, describing Malaysia as a beautiful country.
It was reported that President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Friday that the US would resume nuclear testing. Still, he did not answer directly when asked whether that would include underground nuclear tests that were common during the Cold War.
"You'll find out very soon, but we're going to do some testing," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Palm Beach, Florida, when asked about underground nuclear tests.
"Other countries do it. If they're (going) to do it, we're going to do it, OK?"
Trump said on Thursday that he ordered the US military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after a halt of 33 years, a move that appeared to be a message to rival nuclear powers China and Russia.
Trump made that surprise announcement on social media while aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for a trade-negotiating session in Busan, South Korea.
