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The day the music died at the Shangri-La
America held centre stage at the recent security forum, but its muscular call to action raised doubts and concerns.
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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth seen on a monitor delivering an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
PHOTO: AFP
Warren Fernandez
The mood music seemed incongruous. On stage, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was thumping his chest, declaring how the United States was rebuilding its military, restoring a warrior ethos and re-establishing deterrence.
Warning darkly of a gathering threat to the region, he said: “There’s no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”
