Quotes
We are focusing on security of our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific,
Hegseth told a meeting of a Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Wednesday
There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no,
he told The GuardianWe must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,
Hegesth said, sketching out an initial position for any peace negotiations with Russia
Chasing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,
he added, though this could be interpreted as effectively acknowledging the annexation of Crimea, and large parts of the Donbas by RussiaThe US is prioritising deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognising the reality of scarcity, and making the resourcing trade-offs to ensure deterrence does not fail. As the United States shifts its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front,
he addedThe European continent deserves to be free from any aggression. But it ought to be those in the neighborhood investing the most in that individual and collective defense,
Hegseth said
Africa is very much the front lines of a fight from Islamists,
Hegseth saidNo, America's smart to observe, plan, prioritize and project power where we need to deter conflict,
he addedThere are waste redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed. There's just no doubt. Look at a lot of the climate programs that have been pursued at the Defense Department. The Defense Department is not in the business of climate change, solving the global thermostat. We're in the business of deterring and winning wars. So things like that."
Hegseth saidThere are no plans right now in the making to cut anything,
Hegseth saidAs I said on social media, we welcome Doge to the Pentagon,
Hegseth saidThere's plenty of places where we want the keen eye of DOGE, but we'll do it in coordination,
he added, pointing to potential changes in weapons procurement programs as wellThe Defense Department is not USAID,
Hegseth saidI never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn't Fort Liberty. It's Fort Bragg. And so I was honored to be able to put my signature on that,
Hegseth said
It means Bragg is back. It means the legacy of an institution that generations of Americans have mobilized through and served at is back."
On his decision to reverse Biden's 2023 renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, Hegseth saidPresident Trump's planning assumptions are different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions, than Joe Biden's,
he saidThere are multiple ways in which the American presence in Europe helps power projection in other parts of the world,
Loss said
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I don't think it will be 5%, which would be impossible for almost every nation in the world right now,
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has saidMany European leaders are hoping that there's a bargain that can be struck, by which maybe they spend a bit more buy a few more US weapons, and then everything stays the same,
Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told DWFirst and foremost, it is about building a rapport with him, learning about US's thinking,
Rafael Loss, a senior fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told DW