Seoul: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday announced a set of defense cooperation projects, including one that will enable South Korea to repair P-8 maritime patrol aircraft in the Indo-Pacific rather than relying on a repair destination in the U.S. mainland.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Hegseth unveiled the first set of projects under the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR) at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense forum in Singapore. The forum, initiated by the U.S., includes 14 allies and partners aimed at strengthening defense industrial resilience and expanding related capacities.

Hegseth detailed that the first project would establish repair capability and capacity for P-8 radar systems in Australia. This initiative will allow Indo-Pacific allies and partners operating the aircraft, including New Zealand and the Republic of Korea (ROK), to conduct repairs within the region, reducing reliance on a single repair source in the continental United States.

The second PIPIR project aims to develop standards for small unmanned aerial systems across the Indo-Pacific, identify secure sources of production for their critical components, and increase global supply chain resilience for these systems.

Additionally, Hegseth mentioned that the U.S. would leverage allies' ship repair capabilities to enhance the U.S. Navy's operational effectiveness and conserve taxpayer money. These strategic moves are intended to strengthen regional resiliency by improving access to repair capabilities in the theater and decreasing dependency on distant supply chains.

Washington's efforts to bolster defense industrial cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies and partners aim to address geographic constraints, which could be significant in the event of a contingency involving China.