The Indo-Pacific region stands at a critical juncture today. Over the past few years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has adopted an increasingly coercive and aggressive approach to advancing its interests and reshaping the rules-based international order at the expense of the region’s security and stability.

On the heels of Secretary Lloyd Austin’s travels to the Indo-Pacific, Hudson Asia-Pacific Security Chair Dr. Patrick M. Cronin and Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs will host Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Ely Rattner and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey W. Ford for a conversation on the Department of Defense’s vision for building a more resilient security architecture in Southeast Asia and across the region. The defense officials will discuss the department’s strategy and investments toward modernizing US alliances and partnerships, strengthening regional security networks, and enhancing deterrence to sustain a free and open Indo-Pacific.