It binds the two countries together, over the long term, in countering China. There's also a 'track 2' program that brings in other countries in the region. Co

It binds the two countries together, over the long term, in countering China. There's also a 'track 2' program that brings in other countries in the region. Countering the Soviet Union in Europe had the advantage that the countries were accustomed to an existing alliance and working together. In the western Pacific, South Korea, Japan, the Philipines, Australia, etc. are not at all used to working together. Many are traditional enemies with long-termm animus. And the distances are enormous. The top US foreign policy goal since 2020, arguably, has been to bind them together with each other and with the US to counter China. The US has been amazingly successful for such a short time, but it's still far from NATO levels of integration.