This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
As U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first official visit to Manila, leaders from both countries announced that the United States would send advanced military technology to the Philippines to develop its defence against challenges.
Hegseth met with Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, reiterating that the second Trump administration would continue to support Washington’s defense commitment to its long-standing ally in Southeast Asia.
According to an official transcript, the U.S. defense chief told Marcos,” Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, in this region, in your country, and that friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict.”
The Philippines and China are at odds with one another over their territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Recent standoffs have occurred in waters where the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines is frequently occupied by Chinese coast guard ships.
During their meeting at the presidential Malacaang Palace, Marcos told Hegseth,” Your visit to the region, especially the fact that you have come to the Philippines as your first stop is a very strong indication ( and ) sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region within the South China Sea.
According to a , joint statement , released after Teodoro and Hegseth met, the United States would implement some new initiatives, including “deploying more advanced U.S. capabilities in the Philippines” including a mobile and land-based anti-ship missile launcher and unmanned surface vessels.
Hegseth’s first trip to Manila was led by a senior official in the new Trump administration.
According to Hegseth, U.S. President Donald Trump is “very committed” to Manila’s “ironclad” defense alliance.
” We’re dealing with many years of delayed maintenance, of weakness, in which we have to reestablish strength and deterrence in a number of places around the world.” But relevant for this region today, Hegseth said.
” We don’t ask for help,” the statement continues. We don’t seek war, according to President Trump, he said. We don’t try to move chess pieces around the board. We only want peace. According to a transcript from , the Pentagon, all we seek is freedom and cooperation, and mutual benefit, he continued.
Hegseth arrived in Manila on Thursday night after it was revealed that a journalist was present when he and other senior U.S. national security officials discussed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen on the messaging app Signal.
Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz have been asked to step down in response to the accusations that it is a flagrant violation of information security protocols.
After the meeting between the American and Filipino defense chiefs, China’s foreign ministry issued a warning that the Philippines and the United States should refrain from starting a conflict in the South China Sea.
At a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that “any cooperation between the United States and the Philippines should not be directed against a third party or harm the interests of a third party.”
He urged the United States to stop promoting ideological conflict, stop provoking conflict in the South China Sea, and end its involvement in regional hostility, and refrain from being an initiator in the South China Sea.
missile launcher designed to stop ships
The United States will deploy the land-based anti-ship missile launcher, the so-called Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System ( NMESIS), as part of the joint large-scale Balikatan ( shoulder-to-shoulder ) exercises scheduled for the following month in the Philippines, among the initiatives Manila and Washington agreed to.
In the Batanes chain, the Philippines ‘ northernmost islands that face Taiwan, the joint statement stated that American Special Operations Forces would also train with Filipino marines.
Hegseth and Teodoro said,” These efforts will accelerate the defense partnership and ensure that the alliance is prepared to address the Indo-Pacific region’s most significant challenges.”
