U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday praised American-Japanese friendship and trust while attending a memorial service on Iwo Jima to honor those who died in a pivotal World War II battle.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hailed the “shared warrior ethos” between the US and Japan Saturday on Iwo Jiwa, where he attended a memorial service for those who died in the bloody and pivotal World War II battle on its 80th anniversary.

A handful of retired Marines — all in the late 90s or over 100 — joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Japan’s Prime Minister Takeru Ishida on Saturday to mark the anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II in the Pacific that ended 80 years ago this week.

The United States has taken the first step toward upgrading its military operation in Japan to a joint force headquarters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Sunday in Tokyo.

We start the working week with a look at how Germany’s defence spending spree is affecting financial markets across the EU. What’s happening: Germany’s shift from its historic reluctance to borrow to a “whatever it takes” plan for military and infrastructure spending has helped boost 10-year Bund yields to nearly 3 per cent this month — levels last seen in 2023.

The U.S. defense secretary sought to reassure its ally over security ties and vowed to speed up the creation of a joint “war-fighting headquarters” to deter China.