Should the U.S. Defense Secretary Know What ASEAN Is? Pete Hegseth Doesn’t Appear To

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host whom Donald Trump has nominated to be Defense Secretary, came under fire on Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing, where he faced questions about his history of alleged sexual assault and excessive drinking, his views on women in the military, and his role in the pardoning of men accused of war crimes. But one particular moment from the 4.5-hour grilling has gained traction online: when he wasn’t able to name a single country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In what has now gone viral, with millions of views on X and other platforms, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, who has called Hegseth “not qualified,” says she appreciates that he’s “talked about the Indo-Pacific a little bit.” She then asks Hegseth if he could “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.” She adds: “And how many nations are in ASEAN, by the way?”

Hegseth responds that he “couldn’t tell you the exact amount of nations in that” before saying “but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS with Australia…”

“None of those three countries that you’ve mentioned are in ASEAN,” Duckworth interjected. “I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.”

ASEAN, a bloc that has had diplomatic relations with the U.S. for nearly half a century, has 10 members—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Though ASEAN is not a military alliance, the U.S. has defense alliances with both the Philippines and Thailand, while Singapore is a Major Security Cooperation Partner.

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) shared a clip of the moment on X and questioned Hegseth’s suitability for the role. “Hegseth can’t name one country that’s part of ASEAN and he doesn’t know any of the US international security agreements. America, if you want peace and security, this ain’t it!” she wrote.

Other social media users were also concerned about Hegseth’s gaffe. “This is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying,” one user on X posted. “No great power in history has combined such immense imperial hubris with such profound ignorance of others.”

“From a basic knowledge standpoint, Pete Hegseth is woefully unqualified for this job,” posted the anti-Trump organization Really American. VoteVets, a liberal advocacy group, called it a “mic drop” moment.

Read More: How Asia Is Bracing for Trump’s Second Term

But others came to Hegseth’s defense. “I’ve literally never heard of ASEAN and I’ve followed geopolitics all my life,” one X user said. “Sounds like they’re just throwing obscure irrelevant gotcha questions at him and then saying ‘you should have prepared for this.’”

Former Rep. Peter Mejier (R-Mich.) posted: “Ok this is dumb. Clearly Hegseth heard Asia, and If I was in Hegseth’s shoes I would have said the same thing about Japan/South Korea/AUKUS- bc it’s not at all clear why Duckworth is raising ASEAN, a political and economic union, in the context of Indo-Pacific defense agreements.” (AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S.)

In response to a post by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praising Hegseth’s overall performance at the confirmation hearing, another X user pointed out: “Hegseth was so prepared that he couldn’t name a single ASEAN nation. Now, who should know about global affairs? Oh, that’s right, a Defense Secretary.”

But don’t just take it from Democrats. The “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy, which emerged during Trump’s first term to counter China’s growing influence in the region, names ASEAN as an institution Washington is keen on keeping close ties with: “ASEAN sits at the geographical center of the Indo-Pacific and is central to our vision.”