Hegseth's Asia tour won't fix US credibility crisis

The Defence Secretary can choose to uphold Washington's commitment to the Indo-Pacific or let China play a more important role.

- Karishma Vaswani

The battle of Iwo Jima in World War II was one of the bloodiest in the history of the US Marine Corps. Nearly 7,000 American soldiers died. On the Japanese side, the scale of the casualties was exponentially higher. The epic military operation is a reminder of America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

Eighty years later, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has a chance to show that resolve again. The alternative is to accept that China will play a more important role in the region — and take the space as the US retreats.

The timing of Mr Hegseth's first Asian tour could not be more awkward. President Donald Trump's "America First" mantra is raising eyebrows, but so is his administration's apparent incompetence. The revelation that US plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen were accidentally exposed via a commercial messaging app is worrying for nations that have depended on Washington's military assistance. Compounding that sense of unreliability: More Trump tariffs are expected next week, and allies are likely to be included.

The White House is batting away criticism of the intelligence leak, but it raises serious questions. If the US can be so careless with its own military plans, how much should others rely on it? Mr Hegseth's itinerary includes visits to the Philippines and Japan. Both are US treaty allies and should use this opportunity to get firm answers on how much support they can count on, but also shore up their capabilities in the face of Washington's unpredictability.