STORY: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth joined workouts alongside troops in Singapore on Thursday (May 29) ahead of a major Asian security forum this weekend.

Hegseth will try to convince Asian defense leaders this weekend that the United States is a more trusted partner for the region than China, U.S. officials told Reuters, as questions linger about the Trump administration's commitment to the region.

Hegseth, who has spent a large portion of his first months on the job focused on domestic issues, countering diversity, equity and inclusion in the military and taking aim at the press, will make his first extended remarks in Singapore on Saturday about how he envisions U.S. defense policy in the Indo-Pacific.

He will be addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, which runs this year from May 31-June 1. Defence ministers, senior military and security officials and diplomats from around the world are expected to attend. French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote address on Friday.

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VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH JOINING TROOP TRAINING IN SINGAPORE/ SOUNDBITE FROM HEGSETH

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SHOWS: SINGAPORE (MAY 29, 2025) (US NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. VARIOUS OF U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, PETE HEGSETH, TRAINING WITH TROOPS

2. HEGSETH SHAKING HANDS WITH TROOPS AND APPLAUDING AFTER WORKOUT

3. HEGSETH POSING WITH TROOPS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, PETE HEGSETH, SAYING:

"President Trump you saw this, is spending a historic amount of money on U.S. military, over a trillion dollars in the next budget. But we're also working really hard to find savings. If you've been in the Navy, in the military, you know there's plenty of places to save money. We're getting after it hard. We've already found 10 billion in the DOD budget alone and that's just the beginning. And all 10 of that we will use to pour into people and weapons systems, into war capabilities. So we have capabilities that meet the threat. So it's down to the soldier and sailor level, you're going to have what you need, that's our promise to you. But then in the strategic platform level too. Golden Dome, F-47, B-21, next classes of ships off surface, subsurface. You name it. We're going to put the best stuff in the hands of Americans now and in the future."

5. HEGSETH POSING WITH TROOPS