In October, the Philippines and the US held military drills consisting of combat readiness maneuvers, mock amphibious assaults, and developing coastal defense tactics involving more than 2,500 American and Philippine marines. These exercises aimed to improve their defense system and to ensure regional security in the regional era of competition. The drills also improved and importantly, facilitated cooperation among allied military groups. The U.S. and the Philippine's relationship extends beyond military agreements to include economic and political interests, as Ferdinando Marco has expressed interest in cooperating with the US in defeating terrorist threats and increasing renewable energy. In this week's episode, Alison Ward who covers the Pacific Asia region joins Salomon Montaguth to discuss the impact it will have globally.