Squad Defence Ministers Meeting: Hegseth, Australia, Japan and Philippines Push First Island Chain Readiness in Cebu

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus gathering in Cebu on 28 October 2026, saying the four countries are moving “beyond words to practical cooperation” along the First Island Chain. Hegseth announced the meeting of the grouping, informally known as the “Squad”, on his official X account, alongside a separate bilateral session with Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

Squad pledges “practical cooperation”

In a post on 28 October, Hegseth described the four-way session as a “productive meeting” and said deterrence “is built on real capability and ready partnerships.” He said the partners were working to bolster readiness along the First Island Chain, the line of archipelagos running from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines that sits at the centre of US planning in the Western Pacific.

No joint statement had been released at the time of writing, and Hegseth did not detail specific new commitments.

Hegseth and Teodoro discuss alliance C2

Earlier the same day, Hegseth said he had met Teodoro “for the sixth time” to discuss modernising alliance command and control, security cooperation and deterrence in the South China Sea. He added that Washington is accelerating efforts to modernise the Armed Forces of the Philippines and improve interoperability along the First Island Chain.

Teodoro had told reporters in Manila on 27 October, according to the Philippine News Agency, that he expected both a bilateral meeting and a “squad meeting” with Hegseth during the Cebu gathering.

Building on the 2025 Kuala Lumpur meeting

The four ministers last met in this format on 1 November 2025 on the sidelines of the 12th ADMM-Plus in Malaysia. According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, they agreed then to deepen joint maritime and air activities and discussed holding the four-nation meeting on a regular basis.

Other meetings in Cebu

Hegseth also posted about talks with Vietnam’s defence minister on accounting for personnel missing from the war, a meeting with Singapore’s defence ministry, and said he looked forward to hosting Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin at the Pentagon next year. The ADMM-Plus brings together ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners, including the US, China, Russia, Japan, Australia and India.

Featured image: U.S. Secretary of Defense / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons