phosphorusFormer Fox News host Ed Hegseth, who was nominated by Donald Trump to be defense secretary, came under criticism during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, where he faced questions about his history of alleged sexual assault and excessive drinking, his Perceptions of American Women, among other issues. military, and his role in pardoning those accused of war crimes. But one particular moment during the 4.5-hour barbecue drew attention online: when he couldn't name a single country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called Hegers "unqualified" and said she appreciated that he "talked a little bit about the Indo-Pacific." She then asked Hegseth if she could "name the importance of at least one country in ASEAN and the type of agreement we have with at least one of them." "She added: "By the way, how many countries are there in ASEAN? "

Hegseth responded that he "couldn't tell you how many countries there are" before saying "but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and AUKUS and Australia..."

“None of the three countries you mentioned are in ASEAN,” Duckworth interjected. “I recommend you do some homework before preparing for this type of negotiation.”

ASEAN is a group that has had diplomatic relations with the United States for nearly half a century and has 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Although ASEAN is not a military alliance, the United States has defense alliances with the Philippines and Thailand, and Singapore is a major security partner.

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) shared the video on X and questioned whether Hegseth was right for the role. "Hegers cannot name ASEAN members, nor does he know of any international security agreements by the United States. America, if you want peace and security, this is not it!" she wrote.

Other social media users were also concerned about Hegseth's gaffe. "This is hilarious and scary at the same time," one user on X wrote. "No great power in history has been able to combine such immense imperial arrogance with such ignorance of others."

The anti-Trump group Real Americans posted: "From a basic knowledge standpoint, Pete Hegseth is woefully unqualified for the job." The liberal advocacy group VoteVets called it a "mic drop" moment .

Read more: How Asia is preparing for a second Trump term

But others also defended Hegseth. “I’ve literally never heard of ASEAN and I’ve been following geopolitics my whole life,” said one X user. "It sounds like they just threw some obscure, irrelevant questions at him and said, 'You should be prepared for this.'"

Former Rep. Peter Megill (R-Mich.) posted: “Well, that’s stupid. Apparently Hegseth hears Asia’s voice, and if I were in Hegseth’s shoes, I would be Japan/South Korea/Australia say the same thing - because it is not clear why Duckworth would propose ASEAN as a political and economic alliance in the context of India - Pacific Defense Agreement." (AUKUS is Australia, UK and US. trilateral security partnership)

In response to a post by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praising Hegseth’s overall performance during his confirmation hearing, another X user noted: “Hegseth was so well prepared that he couldn’t name a single ASEAN country name. Now, who should know about global affairs? Oh, yes, the Secretary of Defense."

But don’t just take it from the Democrats. The “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy proposed during Trump’s first term to counter China’s growing influence in the region lists ASEAN as an institution with which Washington is keen to maintain close ties: “ASEAN is located in the Indian Ocean - the Pacific Ocean, is at the heart of our vision.”