U.S. Reassures Indo-Pacific Commitment While Pressing Southeast Asia to Shoulder More Defense Burden
The Diplomat reports that U.S. Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby used a Manila speech to affirm sustained U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific while urging partners to invest more in their own defense. The article highlights a strategic focus on deterrence along the First Island Chain amid South China Sea tensions and regional unease over U.S. economic disruption and Middle East spillovers.