On June 8, the Philippines hosted the second United States-Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue in Manila, Philippines.
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael George DeSombre served as head of the U.S. delegation alongside Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia Hunt VanderToll, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs David Bedard, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Director of International Affairs Captain Jennifer Runion, as well as representatives from the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group in the Philippines.
During the dialogue, the United States, Japan, and the Philippines discussed areas to deepen maritime cooperation in support of a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. This included trilateral alignment of foreign assistance, joint operations and exercises, and capacity building initiatives.
