Sen. Tammy Duckworth exposed the ignorance of the Trump Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth on Monday by asking if he could name one member of ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
When Pete answered South Korea, Japan and Australia, Sen. Duckworth asked him to do his homework before any future negotiations with the alliance, whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are “observer states.”
Taken together, ASEAN represents the fifth-largest economy in the world.
Let’s look closer at ASEAN, and what relevance it has to Pete Hegseth’s desired cabinet post as Secretary of Defense.
- Some ASEAN members have conflicts with China, while others have close relations with Beijing.
- ASEAN also has formal relationships with Russia, India, Australia, the European Union, Britain, Japan, South Korea and many others.
The U.S. is treaty partners with ASEAN members Thailand and the Philippines, and seeks cooperation with ASEAN for its regional influence to counter China, in order to promote what the White House has called “a free and open region that is connected, prosperous, secure and resilient.”
It is likely to play a key role in a potential trade war between Trump and Beijing.
- ASEAN holds top-level meetings annually, with the U.S. defense secretary attending defense meetings, and the U.S. secretary of state attending foreign minister meetings. The president attends an annual summit.
- In 2022, President Biden welcomed leaders of all ASEAN countries to Washington for a summit aimed at underlining U.S. support for the region, a key battleground in America’s rivalry with China.
Sen. Duckworth seems certain that Mr. Hegseth is out of his league.
In the (abbreviated) clip below she notes his incompetence as a high-level officer of negotiation and management, and his focus as a culture warrior. The clip begins at the 36:30 mark.
She’s good. She would make a far superior Defense Secretary than the nominee.
