Thailand’s Minister of Defense Adul Boonthamcharoen and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth conferred for the first time at a defense conference in Singapore, exploring new ways to expand the alliance. Meanwhile, developments in the Strait of Hormuz are prompting Thailand to re-examine its maritime security posture.

The two sides held bilateral talks in Singapore on the sidelines of the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual Asian security forum. Representatives from 44 countries attended the event, including 54 ministerial-level delegates, more than 42 chiefs of defense forces and senior defense officials, as well as prominent academics.

“Great first meeting with Thai Minister of Defense Adul,” Hegseth wrote on Facebook. “We are locking in a new Joint Vision Statement by year’s end and exploring U.S.-Thai defense industrial cooperation.”

According to the official readout of the meeting, Hegseth and Adul “committed to finalizing a new Joint Vision Statement to modernize Thailand’s defense capabilities and accelerate progress on major priorities by the end of the year.” Hegseth also commended Thailand’s continued commitment to peace with Cambodia following the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, brokered by President Trump and the December 27 ceasefire agreement.

“Building on the U.S. commitment to provide $68 million in Foreign Military Financing to improve Thailand’s counter-unmanned aerial systems capabilities and establish a Stryker Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility, both leaders discussed opportunities to expand defense industrial cooperation and accelerate Thailand’s modernization goals,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, The Maritime Executive, an industry publication, reported that Thailand “is further strengthening its defenses in areas where they might be particularly needed if conflict breaks out again, particularly in the Gulf of Thailand.”

The publication noted that strengthening maritime and coastal defenses became an important issue for Thailand. “The realization that the Strait of Hormuz is vulnerable to closure has prompted a review of other maritime choke points, of which the Strait of Malacca is the most prominent and through which 30 percent of global maritime traffic passes,” The Maritime Executive reported.