The Philippines is an important U.S. ally in the Western Pacific. The Philippines’ geographical position and the resulting ability of the U.S. military to forward position key assets can deter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, and the Philippine government and people have demonstrated resolve to resist Chinese aggression. The Philippines has also expressed the intent to increase defense spending and defense cooperation with the United States and to realign Philippine strategy with that goal. The U.S. should work to enable the Philippines to better defend its own sovereignty while pushing for increased defense cooperation, especially in terms of basing access for U.S. rotational forces. The Philippines will need to increase defense spending significantly above current levels to implement its new defense strategy.