45 hours ago · China
Hegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China
What's happening
SignalsMonitor is following this as a conflict story. South China Morning Post Asia is the outlet attached so far. The reports are tied to China. The first report grouped here was at 14 Oct 2026, 21:45 UTC. The headline in use is “Hegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China”. This note is SignalsMonitor's own briefing, not the publisher's article.
What we know
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.
Story timeline
Reports grouped into this story, earliest first. Exact repeats from the same outlet are collapsed.
- First reported by South China Morning Post Asia
Hegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China
Reported by 1 outlet
- South China Morning Post
- South China Morning PostHegseth calls US$1.5 trillion defence budget ‘critical’ to counter China