On January 23, 2026, the U.S. government released its 2026 National Defense Strategy. The document explicitly identifies defending the U.S. homeland and interests in the Western Hemisphere as the country’s top priority. In the Indo-Pacific, U.S. defense priorities focus on balancing deterrence and peaceful coexistence with China and emphasizing enhanced burden-sharing with regional allies and partners.

A clear shift from previous administrations, the Trump administration’s pivot toward “critical but limited support” from U.S. forces in the region holds military, political, and strategic implications for allies and partners facing growing threats from North Korea and China.

Join KEI and the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security (IIPS) to discuss the evolution of U.S. defense priorities in the region and the implications of the newest defense strategy on South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Agenda

10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. | Fireside Chat with Randall Schriver and Scott Snyder

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. | Panel Discussion moderated by Jennifer Hong

Participants

Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security

Scott Snyder, President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America

Ellen Kim, Director of Academic Affairs, Korea Economic Institute of America

Michael Mazza, Senior Director for Research, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security

Yuki Tatsumi, Senior Director, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security

Jennifer Hong (Moderator), Senior Director, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security

[This material is distributed by KEI on behalf of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.]