In 1999, in response to aggressive Chinese behavior, the Philippines ran a ship aground on the Second Thomas Shoal as way of demonstrating its territorial claims over the People’s Republic of China, which also claims the area. The PRC has subsequently worked to prevent resupply of the ship, often using water cannons, lasers, and ramming techniques.

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In 2016, an arbitration panel under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea decided in the Philippines favor. The PRC ignored the ruling and has continued to act aggressively in preventing resupply of the ship. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Blinken said that any “armed” attack by the PRC would trigger the US-Philippines defense pact.

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Join the IFC for a panel discussion on what is perhaps the key flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific.

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Admiral (Ret.) Harry Harris is a former USPACOM commander and a former ambassador to South Korea. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Admiral Harris also holds master’s degrees from Harvard and Georgetown.

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Brigadier General (Ret.) David Stilwell is the Fox Fellow for FuturePacing Threats at the Institute for Future Conflict. Most recently he served as the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2019 to 2021. Before that, he served in the U.S. Air Force for 35years, including as the Defense Attaché in Beijing.

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Dr. Sara Castro is a professor in the Department of History at USAFA, where she focuses on China. Castro earned her PhD from the University ofNorth Carolina and spent time in the intelligence community. She is the author of the forthcoming book Mission to Mao, which will be published byGeorgetown University Press in August 2024.