US-Philippines Society hosts Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana at CSIS

At the initiative of Director Henry B. Howard, the US-Philippines Society and the CSIS Asia Program hosted a roundtable discussion with Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana on September 9. Participants included White House National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Dr. Kurt Campbell and CSIS President John Hamre. US-Philippines Society directors led by Co-chair John Negroponte, President John Maisto and Ambassador Tom Hubbard joined top Washington think-tankers in a wide ranging off-the-record discussion of the US-PH strategic relationship and a review of regional security challenges. The following day, Secretary Lorenzana met with his counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, to discuss the Visiting Forces Agreement and new initiatives to strengthen and modernize defense ties. Secretary Lorenzana’s visit comes as the Philippines and the United States mark the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Roundtable with Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, CSIS, Washington, DC, September 9, 2021

US-Philippines Society Director and Honorary Consul Henry B. Howard (right) and Co-Chair Amb John Negroponte (center) host Secretary Delfin Lorenzana during his Washington DC visit, September 9 at CSIS.