Patrick Cronin joins a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' South China Sea conference titled Evolving Security Networks. He examines how the security environment of the South China Sea is responding to the rise of threatening powers such as China. He warns that China is using domestic law and coercion to undermine the region's stability. The United States is both unwilling and unable to take on the burden of defending the region alone, but Cronin says the US still plays an indispensable role.
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A production line of the Glide, a high-altitude glider that delivers munitions across thousands of miles, is seen at the defense tech startup Mach Industries in Huntington Beach, California, on September 11, 2025. (Getty Images)