The United States has a “new standard” for defence expenditure for its allies worldwide, particularly countries in Asia, according to U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth said this at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request for 2026.
“The U.S. now has a new standard for allied defence spending that all of its allies around the world, including its Asian allies, should move to,” the Pentagon chief said, referring to NATO’s increased defence spending.
The U.S. expects NATO countries to pledge to allocate 5% of their GDP to defence and defence-related investments at next week’s NATO summit, according to Hegseth.
The defence secretary did not mention specific numbers for other allies.
South Korea’s defence spending stands at around two-point-five percent of its GDP.
Trump has demanded that NATO members spend 5 percent of their GDP on defence — much higher than the two percent guideline set by the leaders of the trans-Atlantic alliance in 2014.
The demand came amid speculation that Trump might call for a rise in South Korea’s defence spending or its share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, as his administration is prioritizing deterring an increasingly assertive China.
South Korea’s defence spending stands at around 2.5 percent of its GDP.
During the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defence forum in Singapore last month, Hegseth also called for Indo-Pacific allies to bolster their defence spending.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Hegseth reiterated that the Pentagon is executing a “common sense” agenda to achieve “peace through strength.”
