Patrick Shanahan

A trilateral meeting of the Japanese, Korean, and U.S. defense ministers was a small step forward amid icy Japan-South Korea relations.

The new Indo-Pacific Strategy Report brings little new to the table.

The Indo-Pacific, China-U.S. rivalry, the South Pacific, the South China Sea, and more loomed large this year.

A recent interaction spotlighted efforts to deepen defense sides between the two sides despite the challenges that remain.

The dynamics at play at Asia’s premier security summit only reinforced existing regional worries that the divisions between Washington and Beijing are set to endure.

For the first time since 2011, China will be represented at the regional security forum by its defense minister.

Given the state of U.S.-China relations, it is a safe bet that the issue will dominate the headlines even as conversations focus on a wider range of security issues.

What new Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan might mean for U.S.-China defense relations.

Trump has dismissed his inaugural secretary of defense over policy disagreements.