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Jun 4, 2026
Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Much like it did in Europe, the Trump administration has called on US allies in the Indo-Pacific to increase military spending to 3.5% of GDP. But a defense buildup on this scale would jeopardize economic growth and regional unity, and could lead Southeast Asian countries to gravitate toward China’s strategic orbit.
BANGKOK—At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed America’s Asian allies to spend 3.5% of their GDP on defense, fueling anxiety across the region and beyond. His brow-beating call to arms may well bring about a regional defense build-up on a scale unseen since the Cold War’s end.
