Elbridge Colby, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, visited Southeast Asia to emphasize the importance of the region while issuing a public warning against "middle-power alliances."

The remarks appear to guard against a situation where weakened trust in the US leads to increased cooperation among middle powers, thereby narrowing America's foothold.

While emphasizing an Asia free from hegemony to keep China in check, he also pressured various countries to increase their contributions.

According to the US Department of Defense and other sources on the 10th (local time), Colby delivered a speech at a think tank in Manila, Philippines.

"The United States is absolutely not in decline," Colby said. "The United States is definitely not pulling back from Asia. Quite the contrary. We put Asia first."

"America's longstanding vision of an Asia free from hegemony has been at the core of our regional strategy since the founding of the nation," he emphasized.

"As outlined in the National Security Strategy (NSS), our unwavering goal is to maintain a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, and to that end, we must maintain a denial-based deterrence posture along the First Island Chain," Colby added.

Although he did not directly mention China, this reaffirms the resolve to block China's advance into the Pacific by defending the First Island Chain connecting Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

"There are rumors circulating that the US can no longer be trusted and therefore cannot be worked with, but this is a false claim and misses the point," Colby pointed out. "You can certainly work with the US. But the terms have changed."

He urged nations to increase their contributions, stating that under President Donald Trump's leadership, countries can no longer take the US for granted, which is why pressure is being applied to raise defense spending among allies.

He continued, "The fact that the US cannot be taken for granted does not mean we cannot be dealt with. If you approach things on our terms, we will be an even more active partner than the previous administration."

Colby used terms like "delusion" to issue a firm warning regarding the growing cooperation among middle powers conducted in ways that exclude the US.

"I advise discarding illusions about superficial and trendy initiatives like middle-power alliances designed to exclude the US," Colby said, arguing that while cooperation among allies and partners is encouraged, they must not attempt to exclude or replace the US.

"Signed documents or newly formed working-level consultation groups do not deter coercion. Forward-deployed military power and proven political will do," he stated.

This is interpreted as a strong warning against military cooperation among middle powers that has emerged as trust in the US weakened following the advent of the Trump administration.

It is essentially an argument that cooperation among middle powers lacks actual substance, and that only the US, possessing the world's strongest military, can stand up against China's coercion.

As the US rapidly depleted weapons and exposed a lack of strategy through the Iran War, doubts have been raised among some allies and partners regarding America's defense commitments.

In particular, concerns are emerging that China and Russia might closely monitor the reality of depleted US weapons and take provocative steps.

Under these circumstances, patterns of enhanced cooperation for self-defense and interest expansion are emerging centered around middle powers that possess economic and military capabilities, even if they are not superpowers.

Colby recently drew attention with arguments suggesting that the US should also secure tactical nuclear options, taking into account the possibility of tactical nuclear weapons being deployed in regional wars.

He argued that as China and Russia accelerate the acquisition of small tactical nuclear weapons, the US, which relies on high-yield strategic nuclear weapons, must also diversify its options.

(Photo: Getty Images)