Pentagon chief to visit Singapore for defense summit

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will depart Wednesday for Singapore to participate in the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The trip marks Hegseth’s fourth visit to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office, it said in a statement.

During the visit, Hegseth is expected to meet with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing, in addition to holding a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with regional allies and security partners.

"He will also deliver plenary remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue focused on the (Defense) Department's forward-looking, common-sense approach to safeguarding U.S. vital national interests in the Indo-Pacific," said the statement.

The annual summit, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is regarded as Asia’s premier defense and security forum.

The conference, to be held in Singapore from May 29-31, will bring together government ministers, senior military officials, business leaders and security experts from across the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and the Middle East.

The forum serves as a platform for debate and diplomacy on the region’s most pressing security challenges.