The year 2018 marks the seventh anniversary of the devastating Japan tsunami in March 2011, and also the ninth anniversary of Typhoon Morakot in August 2009, which left 673 Taiwanese people dead, nearly 2,000 homes destroyed, and an estimated US $3.3 billion in damages. The United States demonstrated that it is a reliable partner of Taiwan by delivering plastic sheeting for temporary housing, excavators and earthmoving equipment. While Japan sustained greater damages from the natural disaster than Taiwan, the United States’ response to Japan was also enhanced by the US-Japan formal alliance and at a larger scope than the United States with Taiwan. Yet there are lessons to be learned for all sides, especially prospects for heightened US-Taiwan coordination for future disasters; as well as the possibility of multilateral rather than simply bilateral disaster relief cooperation in the future. To discuss these issues, we were pleased to welcome experts in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, bilateral cooperation, and the peaceful use of military assets in the Indo-Pacific region, Andrew Shapiro (Beacon Global Strategies), Bud Cole (CNA), Yuki Tatsumi (Stimson), and Leo Bosner (GTI scholar, retired FEMA).