Shangri-La Dialogue: Pete Hegseth likens Trump's policy approach to Lee Kuan Yew

I had a front row seat as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. These costly diversions lacked clearly defined goals and were not tied to vital and core American interests. President Trump is changing that. We are not making the same mistakes, not this generation and not now. We are done with that approach. We're focused on delivering for the American people, on safeguarding their security, on protecting their economic interests, and on using common sense to preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific. You know, standing here in Singapore, I think this approach lines quite well with the pragmatic style of Singapore's legendary Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Across three decades, he built this country into one of the world's most important hubs of finance and innovation. Like the late Prime Minister, President Trump's approach is grounded in common sense and national interests, built on a willingness to work with others while respecting mutual self-interest, and informed by an understanding of military strength, but shaped by a preference for engaging on the basis of commerce and sovereignty, not war. These two historic men share a willingness to challenge old ways of doing things that no longer make sense. We refuse to accept any paradigm that makes conflict inevitable. As President Trump said in Riyadh, a historic speech in Saudi Arabia, America does not have or seek a permanent enemy. Under President Trump's leadership, we are applying this common sense approach to defense here in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world.