U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the 6th (local time) strongly urged allies to "shoulder more of the defense burden."
He cited Korea, Israel and Poland as "model allies," hinting at preferential treatment. By contrast, he warned that security free riders would face "consequences."
Minister Hegseth attended the Reagan National Defense Forum (RNDF) in Simi Valley, California, that day and devoted a substantial portion of his keynote to the role of allies. Citing the National Security Strategy (NSS) released the previous day, he stressed how important the defensive line in the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific is.
In particular, he praised Korea for "spending 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on the military and pledging to take a leading role in conventional defense." This reaffirmed the joint fact sheet released by the U.S. and Korean leaders on the 13th of last month. Experts said this signaled that the Trump administration is using Korea as a metric for allied contributions.
By contrast, he took aim at countries reluctant to increase defense expenditure. Minister Hegseth said, "Allies that do not do their part for collective defense will have to face the consequences," adding, "We will no longer tolerate free riding." The United States specified in the NSS the previous day that it would offer special favor, such as commercial preferences and technology sharing, to allies with high levels of contribution. His remarks that day were interpreted to mean the opposite approach for countries that do not, signaling differentiation.
Minister Hegseth also said that day he would undertake a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. munitions industrial ecosystem. He said, "The era when the munitions industry was vendor-locked, dominated by large corporations, and kept adding expense in a closed architecture—cost plus—is over." He added, "We will compete, innovate and bring in commercial technology to pick up speed," and "We will rebuild the Arsenal of Freedom." The Ministry of National Defense plans to make not only uniformed service members but also civilian-sector engineers key pillars of the Arsenal of Freedom.
Throughout the speech, he deliberately used the term "Department of War" instead of the Department of Defense, adding, "We will build a military that fights and wins."
The Reagan National Defense Forum is an annual event where U.S. political and government figures and leaders in the military and defense industry gather to discuss U.S. defense policy. This year's forum drew major figures including House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith and Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo, who listened closely to the Trump second-term administration's defense strategy.
Experts said Minister Hegseth's speech was heavy with the character of sending a "bill" to allies. Local media including Fox News said, "Minister Hegseth used the name 'Department of War' to emphasize the military's fundamental mission of combat readiness," adding, "He also demanded that allies strengthen their real military capabilities accordingly."