US War Secretary Hegseth backs Trump’s India-Pak ceasefire claim; outlines Indo-Pacific strategy

Singapore: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday credited President Donald Trump with helping broker peace between India and Pakistan, while describing New Delhi as a key partner in Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth referred to the understanding reached between India and Pakistan after their military confrontation last year and praised Trump's role in easing tensions. "You saw that in the ability of the president to come together on brokering a peace between India and Pakistan, two nuclear capable countries," Hegseth said.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he helped secure peace between India and Pakistan following a four-day military conflict last year triggered by the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people. India, however, has consistently maintained that the understanding was reached directly between the two countries and has rejected claims of third-party mediation.

The US secretary on Saturday said both India and Pakistan would continue to view each other through the prism of security concerns.

"I think both sides there are going to see understandable threats coming from the other, maybe some of which we see differently, and countries are going to want to develop ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) threats, but we are not pointing a finger, at least from our view right now, at either country and calling them a threat to us," he said.

Hegseth also praised both countries for what he described as their contributions to international stability. "We are grateful for, you know, in each of their lanes, the benefits they have given to peace around the world," he said.

Hegseth, in his address, referred to Pakistan's military and political leadership while discussing regional developments.

"I mentioned India here, but I very easily could have mentioned Pakistan and the role that the field marshal and the prime minister are playing in peace negotiations," he said. "I think an unexpected development and a true friendship developing there, which I think is important."

Pakistan has emerged as the main mediator in the ongoing West Asia conflict, trying to negotiate a peace deal between the US and Iran. Several analysts say Pakistan enjoys the trust of both Washington DC and Tehran.

Top officials from both sides met in Islamabad last month for peace talks, but they failed to clinch a deal. Earlier this week, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that he hopes to host the next round of peace talks very soon.

Hegseth, during his address to a delegation at the Singapore summit, also highlighted India's growing military and industrial capabilities, describing the country as an increasingly important security partner in the Indo-Pacific.

He said India was modernising its armed forces and helping maintain a balance of power, particularly in the Indian Ocean region, as he noted that India was building industrial and logistics capacity to sustain high-end military operations. "We have also committed to pursuing co-production with India to advance capabilities," he said.

Hegseth's remarks on India came as he outlined Washington's broader Indo-Pacific strategy, which he said was aimed at preserving regional stability while ensuring that no single power could dominate the region.

"What we seek ... is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as for our allies," he said. "A favourable, but durable, balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question."

He stressed that the Indo-Pacific remained central to US security and prosperity and sought to reassure regional partners that Washington remained committed to the region despite security challenges elsewhere, including in West Asia.

The US secretary also renewed calls for greater burden-sharing among allies and partners. "The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over. We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency," he said.

Hegseth said the US would continue to strengthen military capabilities and cooperation with allies to preserve regional stability.

He further highlighted defence commitments undertaken by several Indo-Pacific partners, including India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

At the same time, he said, Washington was not seeking "confrontation" with Beijing, despite concerns over China's military build-up.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, brings together defence ministers, military leaders and security officials from across the world to discuss strategic and security challenges facing the region.