PUBLISHED ONMay 29, 2026 8:17 AMUPDATEDMay 29, 2026 10:37 AMBYSean LerUS Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrived in Singapore on Friday (May 29) morning ahead of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, where he is expected to meet counterparts and regional leaders.
The United States Air Force Boeing 747-E4B carrying Hegseth landed at Paya Lebar Air Base just after 3.15am. He was received by US embassy staff and military officials.
A few hours later, the US Department of War released a series of videos which showed Hegseth joining sailors and marines on bord the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer for a morning exercise.
He addressed them and referred to the situation in the Middle East: "As the president said in the Cabinet meeting... Iran can either do it the right way with a deal across the table — or they can deal with my guy on the left. Which happens to be me — but it's not me. It's you guys."
Checks by AsiaOne on vessel tracking platforms show the warship presently berthed at Sembawang Shipyard, where the US maintains a support facility.
In a statement on May 26, the US Department of War said Hegseth, who is scheduled to deliver his plenary remarks on Saturday, will focus on the department's "forward-looking, common-sense approach to safeguarding US vital interests in the Indo-Pacific".
It added that Hegseth will meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing during his visit.
He will also participate in bilateral and multilateral meetings with regional allies and partners. A Bloomberg report on Friday said Hegseth will meet counterparts from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand.
Bloomberg also reported that Hegseth will hold talks on Friday with Vietnam's President To Lam, who is in Singapore on a four-day state visit and scheduled to deliver the summit's keynote address.
The talks are expected to focus on maritime security cooperation and unmanned capabilities amidst a growing Chinese presence in the South China Sea, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed senior US defence official.
In his remarks at last year's Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to spend more on defence, warning of "real and potentially imminent" threat from China.
This prompted China to issue a response, describing Hegseth's comments as "deplorable" and "intended to sow division".
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun will not be attending this year's summit, for the second year running, opting instead to send a delegation of "experts and scholars" from the People's Liberation Army's research institutes and the navy.
China-US military ties remain tense, with limited and cautious efforts to rebuild communication channels after a cut-off in 2022 over then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the democratically governed island of Taiwan over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
Earlier this month, China's Ministry of Defence said it is ready to work with the US side to strengthen dialogue, manage differences, build trust and dispel misgivings following a summit in Beijing.
"During US President Donald Trump's visit to China, the Chinese and US defence chiefs exchanged views on relations between the two militaries and issues of common concern," Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said on Thursday.
Amongst the issues of concern to China is a US arms sales to Taiwan reportedly worth up to US$14 billion (S$18 billion).
Trump said after his visit to Beijing that he was undecided on whether to approve it and would be speaking with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
@asiaone US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrived in Singapore at about 3.15am on a US Air Force Boeing 747-E4B. Hegseth, who is here to attend the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, will speak at a plenary session on Saturday (May 30). #sgnews #Singapore #USA #AirForce #SLD2026 ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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