Pentagon chief sounds ‘alarm’ over China’s buildup, urges allies to boost defence spend

Pentagon chief sounds 'alarm' over China's buildup, urges allies to boost defence spend

At Shangri-La, Hegseth urged Asian allies to hit 3.5% GDP on defence as the US pledges $1.5 trillion against China's military buildup. Washington's "no freeloading" doctrine formally ends US security subsidies, pressing Indo-Pacific partners to expand sovereign defence budgets and procurement independently.