The Defense secretary will announce changes to the Pentagon’s weapons purchases at an unusual gathering of defense industry executives.

Japan is seeking to create a more self-sufficient military as a deterrence against China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region, and has concentrated on defense buildup on its southwestern islands. Japan also has concerns about the rising tensions caused by North Korea and Russia.

President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. leaders are on tour in Asia this week affirming alliances against the backdrop of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in South Korea. Ahead of the conference at Gyeongju,

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Hawaii Monday morning. This is the first leg on Hegseth’s trip, which will take him to Japan next, then Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

A rumor that circulated online in October 2025 claimed (archived) zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.  According to the story,

The mid-October memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would “throttle” communication between the committee and the Pentagon, said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces panel.

Military officials under Hegseth have thus far refused to provide lawmakers with critical information about the fatal strikes against boats in the Caribbean

The first, and perhaps most obvious, hint that the story was fabricated was that Hegseth no longer works for Fox News.