Pentagon undersecretary Elbridge Colby urged Asian allies during a forum in Manila to invest more in their own national defense and share the responsibility of regional security, assuring that the United States remains firmly committed to the region as “partners, not protectorates.”
U.S. Defense Strategy and Presence in Asia
Speaking on Monday at a security forum in the Philippines during his first stop in Southeast Asia, Elbridge Colby addressed concerns that Washington might be reducing its footprint in the region due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. According to reporting by the Associated Press, Colby stated that American vital national interests dictate an enduring presence in Asia. “We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most,” Colby told an audience of foreign diplomats, generals, business executives, and journalists, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Colby reiterated a prior warning issued by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during the Shangri-La defense conference in Singapore. Hegseth vowed that Washington will build and sustain a robust defense network in the Western Pacific designed to make aggression infeasible and war irrational.
Call for Sovereign Defense Investment
While emphasizing the U.S. commitment to maintaining combat-credible power in the region, Colby stressed that the security architecture cannot rely solely on American military might. He argued that regional deterrence requires a network of capable, sovereign nations that modernize their own armed forces.
According to the Associated Press, Colby framed the push for higher military spending as an evolution toward equal partnership rather than abandonment. “When we ask our allies and partners to step up, to invest more in their own defense and to take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment. We are looking for partners, not protectorates,” Colby said.
Regional Security Context and Alliances
Colby specifically praised defense modernization efforts undertaken by the Philippines, which conducts annual large-scale combat exercises alongside U.S. forces. He also acknowledged similar military strengthening steps taken by Thailand, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian security allies.
The Associated Press noted that Colby’s remarks in Manila bypassed direct public criticisms of China’s recent maritime actions. Territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have persisted for decades across the South China Sea, a critical global trade route. While Beijing claims virtually the entire waterway—rejecting a 2016 international arbitration ruling favoring Manila—the United States maintains a treaty obligation to defend the Philippines under a longstanding mutual defense pact if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft face armed attack in the region.
Following his visit to the Philippines, Colby’s Southeast Asian itinerary includes scheduled stops in Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia.