As China’s military modernization accelerates and its coercive behavior in the Indo-Pacific intensifies, Washington must deepen its network of alliances to deter aggression and preserve regional stability. The U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral relationship has emerged as a cornerstone of that effort. Recent developments, including Japan’s deployment of combat troops to Philippine soil for Exercise Balikatan, the first such deployment since World War II, underscore the partnership’s growing strategic weight. Translating that momentum into a durable deterrence strategy will require sustained commitment and concrete action. The discussion explored those challenges and marked the release of a new CNAS report, U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Cooperation: The Bedrock of a New U.S. Indo-Pacific Deterrence Strategy, coauthored by Lisa Curtis and Ryan Claffey. 
  
The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held a live discussion on Wednesday, May 6, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET on U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral cooperation. The panel was moderated by Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program, and featured Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines; Henrietta Levin, senior fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Ryan Claffey, research assistant for the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program.