Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are leading a U.S. delegation to Singapore this week to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security conference, another signal of the Trump administration’s intensified focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Both Hegseth and Gabbard will attend the 22nd annual conference, hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which this year will have more than 550 delegates from 40 nations, including military, intelligence, business and security leaders, from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America.
Hegseth is expected to deliver a major speech to the conference highlighting the Trump administration’s national security focus on China.
“He’ll provide an honest overview of the threat China poses to the region, underscore that our goal is to prevent war by establishing a credible shield of deterrence with our unmatched network of Allies and partners,” said a senior U.S. defense official. “And he’ll footstomp that this network is only strong if our allies and partners invest in their own defenses. It must be a two-way street.”
Gabbard is expected to “discuss major security challenges” with leaders, a source familiar with Gabbard’s plans told ABC News. This year’s U.S. delegation includes higher-level representation than in previous years, said the source.
Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President Donald Trumpâs nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 30, 2025, in Washington, DC. Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii who previously ran for president as a Democrat before joining the Republican Party and supporting President Trump, is facing criticism from Senators over her lack of intelligence experience and her opinions on domestic surveillance powers. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Both Hegseth and Gabbard are making their second visit to Asia seemingly reinforcing the Trump administration’s renewed focus on the region.
In late March Hegseth visited Japan and the Philippines to reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to deterring Chinese aggression in the region.
Shortly after her confirmation, Gabbard traveled to India and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of President Donald Trump’s bilateral meeting with Modi in February.
Gabbard’s relationship with Modi spans more than a decade, dating back to 2013 when she became the first Hindu member of Congress.
They met again during her 2014 visit to India at Modi’s invitation.
Earlier this year, Gabbard accepted an invitation from Modi to speak at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, a multilateral conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, but, before returning to Washington, Gabbard made stops in Japan, Thailand and France.
Her diplomatic tour began in Honolulu, Hawaii — her hometown — where she represented the state in Congress for eight years.
While in Hawaii, Gabbard met with intelligence community partners and visited United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) headquarters in Honolulu.
In Singapore this week, both Hegseth and Gabbard will hold separate bilateral meetings with regional leaders.
A source familiar with Gabbard’s agenda said she would “explore opportunities to chart a path that advances mutual interests of security, peace, and prosperity in the region.”