The European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC) brought its experience in inter-theater security and crisis simulations to Manila, where security and defense experts from the Philippines, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, Czechia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States examined the implications of a potential Taiwan Strait contingency.
The tabletop exercise, “Situating the Philippines in the Inter-Theater Perspective on Security Challenges: Crisis Simulation of an East Asia Contingency,” was organized in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP).
Building on EVC’s previous simulations examining interconnected security challenges in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, the Manila exercise explored how a crisis in the Taiwan Strait could affect the Philippines and its partners, as well as how developments across different theaters could shape political and security responses.
Through scenario-based discussions and crisis-response exercises, participants tested policy options, coordination mechanisms, and existing capabilities, identified gaps, and developed practical recommendations for strengthening preparedness and resilience. Bringing together expertise from Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and the United States also allowed the exercise to examine a Taiwan contingency beyond its immediate regional context.
The Manila simulation is part of EVC’s broader work on inter-theater security, which examines how crises in Europe and the Indo-Pacific can interact and what these connections mean for governments and their partners. Through tabletop exercises and expert exchanges across both regions, EVC seeks to strengthen preparedness, challenge existing assumptions, and create channels for practical cooperation before a crisis occurs.