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Hegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China

Hegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China
South China Morning Post Wednesday 14 October 2026, 21:45 UTC By Seong Hyeon Choi 1 min read
Key Points

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a nearly US$1.5 trillion defence budget request “absolutely critical”, warning that whoever falls behind in autonomy, robotics and AI will fall “even further behind” as Washington eyes China’s rapid military modernisation. Speaking at a panel discussion during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition on Wednesday, Hegseth said that Project Agincourt, the Pentagon’s initiative to accelerate drone and autonomous...

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a nearly US$1.5 trillion defence budget request “absolutely critical”, warning that whoever falls behind in autonomy, robotics and AI will fall “even further behind” as Washington eyes China’s rapid military modernisation. Speaking at a panel discussion during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition on Wednesday, Hegseth said that Project Agincourt, the Pentagon’s initiative to accelerate drone and autonomous...
Hegseth (PERSON) China (LOCATION) Pete Hegseth (PERSON) AI (ORG) Washington (LOCATION) the Association of the United States Army (ORG) AUSA (ORG) Project Agincourt (ORG) Pentagon (ORG)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

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