Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte cast fresh doubt on the future of U.S.-Philippine relations on Oct. 2, when he threatened to review and stop implementation of a major defense agreement with the United States. Finalized in January under Duterte’s predecessor, the U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is a key piece of U.S. strategy in Southeast Asia , allowing the U.S. to rotate forces through and preposition materiel at five Philippine military bases. Duterte added that he would soon announce a new policy in connection with the country’s ties with the United States. These comments were made under an immediate context of heightened criticism of his drug war from U.S. officials and lawmakers. The threat is just the latest in a series of similar remarks directed at the U.S..