Pentagon official urges Asian allies to invest more in defense

A senior Pentagon official on Monday urged US allies in Asia to increase their defense spending and do more to deter aggression in the region, saying Washington remains committed to the region and wants to work with "partners, not protectorates."

Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense, made the remarks at a forum in the Philippines, his first stop on a Southeast Asian tour that will also take him to Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.

Colby sought to reassure regional allies that the United States is not stepping back from Asia despite its current focus on the war with Iran and developments in the Middle East.

"America is definitely not disengaging from Asia — to the contrary. Our vital national interests dictate our enduring presence here," Colby told an audience that included diplomats, military commanders, business executives and journalists.

"We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most," he said, adding that Washington considers Asia to be of "paramount importance."

Colby did not repeat the US government's usual criticism of China's increasingly assertive actions in the region, including in the disputed South China Sea. Washington has frequently expressed concern over what it describes as increasingly hostile Chinese actions toward Philippine coast guard and naval vessels in recent years.

The United States has repeatedly said it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino armed forces, ships or aircraft are subjected to an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea for decades. The strategically important waterway is also one of the world's major trade routes.

Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and has rejected a 2016 international arbitration ruling brought by the Philippines that invalidated China's expansive territorial claims.

Colby reiterated a pledge made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore in May to build and maintain a strong US defense presence in the Western Pacific.

The aim, Hegseth said, is to ensure that aggression is not feasible, escalation is unattractive and war is considered irrational.

Colby said Washington remains committed to maintaining "combat-credible power where it matters most," but added that the regional security framework cannot depend solely on the United States.

"It must be upheld by a network of highly capable, sovereign nations that have modernized their own forces and stepped up to secure their own territory — transforming our relationships into true partnerships of equals," he said.

Colby said asking allies and partners to increase defense spending and take greater responsibility for their own security should not be viewed as a sign that Washington is abandoning them.

"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," he said.

Colby praised the Philippines for strengthening its defense capabilities, including through large-scale annual military exercises with US forces. He also cited similar efforts by Thailand, Indonesia and other US security partners in Southeast Asia.