US to Upgrade Military Command in Japan to Deter China: Hegseth

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 30 that Japan is indispensable to combatting Chinese aggression in the South Pacific and that plans will soon commence to enhance the U.S. military command in the nation. “We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces,” Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani during a meeting in Tokyo. “Japan is our indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” including across the Taiwan Strait, he added. Japan is a “cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said, adding that the Trump administration will keep working closely with its critical Asian ally....