Trump’s Defence Pick Pete Hegseth Can’t Name Countries In ASEAN

US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth has had a shaky start to his potential tenure in the Pentagon after he appeared to not know about the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During the four-hour-long Senate confirmation hearing at the US Congress, Mr Hegseth was quizzed on how many countries were in the block and to name a member nation.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, born in Bangkok to a Thai mother and an American father, posed the question to Mr Hegseth, arguing that he was “not qualified” for the job.

“You talked about the Indo-Pacific a little bit, and I’m glad that you mention it-can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN and what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations, and how many nations are in ASEAN by the way?” questioned Ms Duckworth.

To which, Mr Hegseth replied: “I could not tell you the exact amount of nations in that, but I know we have allies in South Korea, in Japan, and in AUKUS, in Australia where we are trying to work on submarines with them.”

Dismayed by the answer given by the Republican leader, Ms Duckworth interrupted him and said: “None of those three countries that you mentioned are in ASEAN, I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.”

Notably, the 10 members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are “observer states”.

Pete Hegseth doesn’t know which countries are in ASEAN when asked by Senator Tammy Duckworth.

This exemplifies how utterly unfit Pete Hegseth is to hold the office of Secretary of Defense.

Bro is inept.pic.twitter.com/OGUGz0ATxz

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) January 14, 2025

Also Read | ‘Want To Bring Warrior Culture Back’: Trump’s Controversial Pentagon Pick

Social media reacts

While those in the opposite political spectrum slammed Mr Hegseth for not knowing about an important alliance, the Conservative supporters protected him saying a potential secretary of defence didn’t need to know about a “purely political and economic collective of nations”.

“These are basic questions that anyone in DOD would know. Hegseth can’t answer ONE! said one user, while another added: “This is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying.”

A third commented: “ASEAN is not a military alliance. Hegseth mentioned the military allies in the region since he’s applying for Secretary of Defense.”

Apart from his knowledge of South East Asia, Mr Hegseth was also grilled over accusations of sexual assault, infidelity and drinking in the workplace. Mr Hegseth, a veteran of the Army National Guard, has no diplomatic or administrative experience but will lead the defence department, including its three million employees and $849 billion budget if he manages to get over the line.