Pentagon official urges Asian allies to boost defense contributions
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, speaking at the Stratbase Institute in Manila on Aug. 10, renewed the Trump administration's call for Asian allies to shoulder a greater share of the defense burden, emphasizing that the United States seeks partnerships "not dependencies" and that America can no longer be "taken for granted."
Colby's remarks, reported by Yonhap News, come against a backdrop of lingering doubts about U.S. security commitments in the region, fueled by the administration's focus on the Middle East and its "America First" policy.
"In Manila, I intend to deliver a clear message ... that America's interests are more engaged than ever in the Indo-Pacific, and that we at the Department of War are concentrated on ensuring those interests are stoutly defended," Colby said.
Reassurances and expectations
Colby sought to reassure allies that the U.S. is "digging in" to ensure a "favorable balance of power" in Asia, stating plainly, "We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most." He emphasized a strategy of "deterrence by denial" along the first island chain.
However, he coupled these assurances with a clear expectation of greater effort from allies. Colby cautioned against middle-power alliances "designed to exclude America," without naming specific countries, and argued that such groupings should integrate and be complementary with the U.S., not exclude or supplant it.
"This means a strong and growing U.S. investment in the region," Colby said, as quoted by Yonhap. "But it is also coupled with a newfound but common sense expectation of much greater effort and contribution by our allies and partners. Not in a hectoring or unbalanced way. To the contrary, in a spirit of partnership, not dependency." Colby notably did not mention China by name in his remarks.
Diverging narratives on regional commitment
The Council on Foreign Relations paints a more critical picture, suggesting that the Trump administration's recent actions contradict its public reassurances. The Council highlights what it describes as an "abrupt rollback of joint military exercises with South Korea," ordered by President Donald Trump hours before they were due to start, and a subsequent series of actions that it says are "draining Asian allies' confidence in U.S. security commitments."
The Council reports that joint exercises with South Korea ultimately went forward in a limited fashion after South Korean officials were privately "incensed" by the decision. It also claims the Pentagon pulled THAAD interceptors from South Korea for use in the Middle East.
Further, the Council points to the 2025 National Security Strategy, which it says prioritized the Western Hemisphere and did not mention China until page 19 of 29 pages. It also notes the relocation of the last U.S. aircraft carrier out of the Indo-Pacific for the Iran war, leaving the region without a carrier for the first time in years.
Data cited by the Council shows a significant drop in U.S. transits through the Taiwan Strait, down roughly 50 percent in Trump's second term compared to his first, and 56 percent compared to the Biden era. The Council also reports that the U.S. conducted at least seven freedom of navigation operations per year in the South China Sea during Trump's first term, but none in the first six months of his second term. President Trump reportedly discussed Taiwan directly with a Chinese leader, framing the island as "indefensible" and a bargaining chip.
Regional trust erodes
These actions are having a measurable impact on regional trust, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. A June Pew Research Center survey found that favorable views of the U.S. have dropped by double digits in Indonesia and South Korea, with seven in ten or more people across Europe and the Asia-Pacific now holding unfavorable views. In the Philippines and South Korea, positive ratings are at or near their lowest levels since 2002.
Colby, for his part, has called for an end to "moralizing speeches" about Chinese rights violations, according to the Council. In May 2026, at the Shangri-La Dialogue, leaders from Vietnam, Australia, and Japan pushed back against U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing that the region's real problem is a shortage of trust in Washington's defense priorities, not a shortage of arms.
The Council warns that this erosion of confidence could lead some regional states to pursue even more dramatic deterrent measures, including the potential pursuit of nuclear weapons. As these dynamics unfold, the gap between Washington's public commitments and its perceived actions may prove decisive in shaping the balance of power in Asia.