Expansion of the alliance The United States is looking for new formats of security cooperation Regional security is increasingly becoming the property of small groups of countries. Against this background, multilateral formats may give way to narrower associations with specific military missions. At a meeting of defense ministers in Cebu, the Philippines, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth proposed the creation of a long-term mechanism of interaction between Washington and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The discussion of the initiative will begin in 2027, when the presidency of the association will move to Singapore. The Singaporean government has already announced its willingness to help promote the new proposal of Gessett. However, its contents have not yet been revealed. Australia also supported the American initiative. At the same time, the representatives of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines held a closed meeting in squad format for the first time, in which they discussed policy coordination and infrastructure projects. At the same time, the expected four-way meeting, which included India instead of the Philippines, did not take place, apparently due to scheduling problems. Separately, authorities in the Philippines and Japan agreed to expand their security partnership, including the transfer of military equipment and the exchange of information. And the United States announced increased aid to the Philippine government to modernize its armed forces and increase compatibility with American units. Heseth's initiative shows a desire to maintain American influence in the region and to systematize security cooperation with ASEAN. However, disagreements within the association and the reluctance of several countries to spoil relations with the Chinese authorities may reduce the general framework for official statements. Many countries in the region also question the long-term nature of American commitments in light of US domestic priorities and conflicts elsewhere in the world. Under these conditions, narrow formats such as squads and bilateral alliances work better: they allow interests to be coordinated more quickly.

Expansion of the alliance The United States is looking for new formats of security cooperation Regional security is increasingly becoming the property of small groups of countries. Against this background, multilateral formats may give way to narrower associations with specific military missions. At a meeting of defense ministers in Cebu, the Philippines, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth proposed the creation of a long-term mechanism of interaction between Washington and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The discussion of the initiative will begin in 2027, when the presidency of the association will move to Singapore. The Singaporean government has already announced its willingness to help promote the new proposal of Gessett. However, its contents have not yet been revealed. Australia also supported the American initiative. At the same time, the representatives of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines held a closed meeting in squad format for the first time, in which they discussed policy coordination and infrastructure projects. At the same time, the expected four-way meeting, which included India instead of the Philippines, did not take place, apparently due to scheduling problems. Separately, authorities in the Philippines and Japan agreed to expand their security partnership, including the transfer of military equipment and the exchange of information. And the United States announced increased aid to the Philippine government to modernize its armed forces and increase compatibility with American units. Heseth's initiative shows a desire to maintain American influence in the region and to systematize security cooperation with ASEAN. However, disagreements within the association and the reluctance of several countries to spoil relations with the Chinese authorities may reduce the general framework for official statements. Many countries in the region also question the long-term nature of American commitments in light of US domestic priorities and conflicts elsewhere in the world. Under these conditions, narrow formats such as squads and bilateral alliances work better: they allow interests to be coordinated more quickly.