Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pledged anti-ship missile deployments, increased military training and defense industrial base cooperation to the Philippines under steps to “re-establish” deterrence in the Indo-Pacific alongside Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro today in Manila.
“We agreed on the next steps to re-establish – and that’s key – re-establish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region,” Hegseth announced.
Hegseth touched down in Manila on Thursday in his first trip to a foreign partner in the region. This visit preceded other U.S. treaty allies in Asia, such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, a fact that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other officials noted as a demonstration of Washington’s commitment to Manila.
“Your visit to the region, and especially the fact that you’ve come to the Philippines as your first stop, is a very strong indication and sends a very strong message to the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region within in the South China Sea,” Marcos said to Hegseth during a meeting at Malacañang Palace.