William E. Berry, Jr., PhD, served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force before retiring as a colonel in 1997. During his career, he served in Vietnam, the Philippines, Korea, and Malaysia. He also taught at the Air Force Academy, the National War College, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and has written and lectured extensively on topics related to American security interests in both Northeast and Southeast Asia. His previous book, U.S. Bases in the Philippines: the Evolution of the Special Relationship, is generally considered to be one of the seminal works on this subject. Berry is currently an independent consultant specializing in East Asian security issues and also an adjunct professor of political science at the Pueblo campus of Colorado State University.