While Indonesia brings the US, China and 16 other militaries together for ASEAN’s Trident Resolve exercise, the Philippines is taking a very different path — strengthening its defenses with India's BrahMos supersonic missile system and expanding security cooperation with allies. The contrast highlights two competing approaches to security in Southeast Asia: Jakarta's strategy of engaging all major powers while avoiding formal alignment, and Manila's increasingly proactive effort to deter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea. As China continues to pressure several ASEAN members, can Indonesia's balancing strategy preserve regional stability, or is the Philippines' more forward-leaning approach becoming the new model for maritime security? In this episode, we examine the strategic logic behind Trident Resolve, the Philippines' growing deterrence posture, and what these contrasting approaches reveal about ASEAN's evolving security architecture and the future of the Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on September 22, 2026 at 4pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Rath Wang
Producer: Miguel Yang
Videographer: Jun Ng
Our guests:
Tony Hu
- Former US Department of Defense Senior Director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia
Renato Cruz de Castro
- De La Salle University Department of International Studies Distinguished Professor
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