NOVEMBER 20, 2024 – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underscored the United States’ enduring commitment to the U.S.-Philippine mutual defense treaty today as he surveyed the growing defense cooperation between the two nations as part of his fourth visit to the Philippines since taking office.
The secretary traveled to Palawan, an archipelagic province on the Philippines’ western edge, alongside Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro, where the two leaders visited Antonio Bautista Air base, one of nine sites established under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two nations.
Austin and Teodoro also visited the Headquarters Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Command, which is charged with leading efforts in the South China Sea and observed a demonstration showcasing T-12 unmanned surface vessels, a key capability used by Philippine forces and operate throughout its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
The unmanned vessels are one of several unmanned platforms provided to the Philippine navy through Foreign Military Financing aimed at bolstering the Philippine forces intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and maritime domain awareness capabilities.
“We expect to see many more platforms like this delivered from the $500 million in Foreign Military Financing that I announced during my visit to the Philippines in July,” the secretary said in a press conference during his visit to Palawan. “This will help ensure the Philippines has the capabilities it needs to defend its rights and its sovereignty throughout its exclusive economic zone.”
Austin further underscored that the U.S. is “profoundly committed to the defense of the Philippines,” and that the United States’ commitment to its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines remains “ironclad.”
“And let me say again that the mutual defense treaty applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our coast guards, anywhere in the South China Sea,” he said.
The visit to Palawan capped Austin’s second day in the Philippines as part of his fourth visit to the country aimed at building on the momentum built under his tenure in strengthening the longstanding U.S.-Philippine alliance.
The secretary’s leadership has been critical to advancing the U.S.-Philippine relationship to where it is today.
During Austin’s tenure, the U.S. and the Philippines added four new rotational sites, for a total of nine, as part of an expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement first signed in 2014. The sites are designed to strengthen combined training, exercises and interoperability between the two countries.
Yesterday, Austin and Teodoro convened an official signing ceremony for the newly established General Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, that provides a legal framework enabling enhanced and expanded sharing of information and defense technology between the two countries.
The agreement serves as a foundation for further enhancing interoperability between U.S. and Philippine forces and paves the way for additional security agreements in the future.
Austin and Teodoro also broke ground on a new combined coordination center at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila to further enable information sharing between U.S. and Philippine forces.
Austin also met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. at Malacanang Palace in Manila where the secretary further underscored the strong ties between the two countries.
The two-day stop in the Philippines is part of Austin’s 12th trip to the Indo-Pacific, where he is engaging with senior leaders throughout the region as he continues to build upon the strong partnerships forged under his tenure throughout the United States’ priority theater of operations.
After departing the Philippines, the secretary continued on to Laos where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
U.S. defense secretaries have participated in the forum since 2010 when it was established by the 10-member block of Southeast Asian nations.
Austin will meet with a range of regional allies and partners informally during the meeting and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to regional security. During this visit, he will announce the first-ever Defense Department vision statement for a prosperous and secure Southeast Asia.
Austin’s final stop is in Fiji, marking the first visit to the country by a U.S. defense secretary.
While there, Austin will meet with Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa.
The secretary is expected to announce that the U.S. and Fiji will begin negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement that will empower the two countries to work more closely together.
By Joseph Clark, DOD News