MANILA, Philippines — The United States is working to strengthen the Philippines’ ability to defend its claims and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea as part of a broader strategy focused on deterrence, military readiness and deeper alliance cooperation, a senior US defense official said Monday.
US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said Washington is working closely with the Philippine government to provide the capabilities and support needed to help Manila protect its claims in the West Philippine Sea, where Chinese coercive activities have increased.
“We are working very, very closely with our Philippine government counterparts to ensure that they have the capacity and the backing,” Colby said during a fireside chat at a forum organized by the Stratbase Group.
He said the United States was discussing both its own capabilities and those that could be made available to the Philippines to help the country protect its claims in the disputed waters.
Colby described the US-Philippine alliance as “rock strong,” saying both countries were working to develop the exercises, capabilities and operational coordination needed to enable the United States to rapidly come to the Philippines’ defense if necessary.
He declined, however, to speculate on the specific US response to a possible surprise Chinese attack on the Philippines.
Instead, Colby pointed to increasingly realistic military exercises, closer coordination and other concrete preparations as the clearest evidence of the alliance's credibility.
“The best evidence of the credibility and strength of the US-Philippine alliance is what you can see happening,” he said, citing exercises, realism and direct discussions between the two sides.
Colby said the US approach in the region is based on “strong and clear, but quiet” deterrence, combining military strength with diplomacy rather than seeking direct confrontation with China.
He said the US strategy is focused on “denial”—preventing any country from becoming the regional hegemon and helping countries in maritime Asia defend their own sovereignty and autonomy.
“We're not trying to dominate this whole region,” Colby said. “It's a strategy of denial, designed to deny any state the ability to become the regional hegemon.”
He said the strategy is intended to defend the existing regional order rather than change it, adding that Washington wants to preserve the stability that has contributed to economic growth in Asia.
Colby also stressed that the US does not expect all its allies and partners to perform the same roles.
Instead, Washington intends to work with each country according to its geography, capabilities, strategic interests and political circumstances.
For the Philippines, he said, the West Philippine Sea is a major concern and Washington would tailor its cooperation accordingly.
“The Philippines cares about the West Philippine Sea,” Colby said. “We're going to work with you based on that.”
