The question of bond duration can be looked at from different points of view view but it has nothing to do with any higher interest environment. Anyway interest rates are still historically low and the yield curve is flat. When you can get a real rate of 3% on TIPS or a fixed rate on I bonds of 2% then there is a high interest rate environment. In the long term of a couple of centuries interest rates may well continue a long down trend. Short run disruptions such as world pandemic, wars, and political events are not a basis for making bond decisions in lifetime investing.
To address bond duration one can can consider diversification in stock/bond portfolios or look at concepts of liability matching for one's own situation.
For myself intermediate term bond funds are a fine middle point about any time. Do you mean by 10% in VWESX that your portfolio is 90/10 stocks/bonds, in which case it probably makes no difference what bonds you hold though by some theory long bonds is fine for that. How many more decades do you plan for your investing?