US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels on Feb. 13 that the US military strategy will shift the center of gravity from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.
As important as NATO is to Europe, Hegseth said, it is essential to work with partners in the Indo-Pacific who recognize the reality of the Chinese “threat.”
While not predicated on conflict with China, the communist country is a threat wherever “liberalism” exists, he added.
The US cannot take the lead in every region, he said, and has realistic financial constraints. This echoes the previous day’s emphasis on the need for Europe and the US to “divide up security.”
