[USNI] The Trump administration is focused on delivering military capabilities to the Indo-Pacific to strengthen deterrence, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said Thursday during his week-long tour of the region.
“Everybody knows our position on those issues,” Colby said on Thursday to reporters, referring to the need to deliver military capability to the region. “They’ve been repeated many times in private and public, so we don’t feel the need to tub thump every day. We think that what is unique and different about our approach is that it focuses on results in the military domain, not only for ourselves where we think the proof is in the pudding, but also with our allies and partners.”
The administration’s approach is to collaborate with allies and partners quietly, rather than “peacocking,” Colby said during the virtual media roundtable. Colby is currently visiting Southeast Asia – including the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia – to meet with senior officials. On Monday, Colby gave a speech at the Stratbase Institute in Manila, Philippines, during which he did not mention China or the South China Sea.
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