FILE-President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Pete Hegseth was grilled during his Senate confirmation hearing and struggled when asked a specific question.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth questioned Hegesth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, regarding his ability to lead international negotiations and asked him to name one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and to describe what type of agreement the U.S. had with the countries and how many nations were in the bloc.
Hegseth couldn’t correctly answer Duckworth’s question.
What is ASEAN?
The backstory:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a 10-nation bloc established in 1967, and the United States has a top-level "comprehensive strategic partnership" with it. These meetings feature top defense officials, diplomats, and world leaders, according to the Associated Press.
ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. An 11th country, East Timor, is set to join soon.
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The objective of ASEAN is to promote regional economic and security cooperation, leveraging a combined population of more than 650 million people with a GDP of more than $3 trillion.
According to the Associated Press, ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei are tangled in maritime disputes with China over its claims of independence over the South China Sea, one of the world’s most critical waterways for shipping.
How is ASEAN connected to the US Defense Secretary?
The U.S. is treaty partners with ASEAN members Thailand and the Philippines, and the U.S. has tried to gain ASEAN’s regional influence as it attempts to counter China’s influence.
ASEAN also holds top-level meetings annually and the U.S. defense secretary usually attends its defense meetings, and the foreign minister meetings are attended by the U.S. secretary of state.
According to the Associated Press, these meetings conclude with an annual summit, which is attended by the sitting U.S. president.
What they're saying:
Pete Hegseth responded to Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s question at the heated Senate confirmation hearing saying he couldn't tell her the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that "I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia," the Associated Press reported.
"None of those three countries are in ASEAN," responded Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. "I suggest you do a little homework."