MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States on Friday, March 28, made a commitment to work together to improve Manila’s domestic defense industry, as their defense chiefs announced that an American anti-ship missile launcher will be used for the first time in bilateral military drills.
The announcement was made in Manila during US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s one-day visit to the longtime American treaty-ally, where he met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang as well as top security and defense officials led by Defense Secretary GIlberto Teodoro Jr. The Philippines is the first country in the region that Hegseth has visited as US President Donald Trump’s defense chief.
After meeting with Marcos, Hegseth visited the headquarters of the Philippine military in Camp Aguinaldo, where he assured Teodoro and the defense-military establishment that their agreements on Friday “are just the beginning of what will continue to be an incredibly fruitful alliance.”
“Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Teodoro agreed to take several bold steps and set a robust agenda for the US Department of Defense and the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) to reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and achieve peace through strength,” a DND statement said. “These efforts will accelerate the defense partnership and ensure that the alliance is postured to address the most consequential challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The DND said the new initiatives, which are aimed at enhancing the interoperability of the two militaries, include:
- Deploying more advanced US capabilities in the Philippines, such as unmanned surface vehicles and the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — a mobile, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher – as part of the two countries’ joint Balikatan exercises.
- Holding “advanced bilateral Special Operations Forces training” in Batanes, where the Philippine Marines and the US Special Operations Forces will train on complex landing scenarios.
- The publishing of a bilateral defense industrial cooperation vision statement that will serve as a framework for supporting each other’s defense industries. “This is intended to promote more robust military and industry partnerships, build supply chain resilience, strengthen our readiness, and bolster both nations’ economies,” the DND said.
- Launching of a bilateral cybersecurity campaign.
NMESIS, according to the US Marines’ website, is a “mountable, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher” that they received in November 2024. The system is operated by the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment. The regiment, according to the US Marines, specializes “in amphibious and littoral warfare operations” and is “deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”
Effective deterrence
“The deployment of the NMESIS and other unmanned surface vehicles will hasten the introduction of these technologies into the vista of the Philippine Armed Forces and will train our troops to train for higher technological capabilities that we need for effective deterrence in the future,” Teodoro said in welcoming Hegseth.
“The Philippines is prepared and is in fact taking a more active role in rallying our other allies and like-minded nations to resist any attempt to change international law by a quiescence or a fait accompli in the South China Sea,” he added. “The number of Status of Visiting Forces Agreements that we are entering into for the rules-based international order is proof of this.”
Hegseth said these new initiatives “will help us share burdens and promote a more comprehensive partnership” and bring about activities that will “boost both of our economies and strengthen supply chain resilience.”
Hegseth flew in and out of Manila in under 24 hours. He flew in late Thursday, March 27, and will be flying out the following day to make it to the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima in Japan.
But the US defense chief’s itinerary is quite telling — he first stopped by the Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) in Hawaii, then US territory and defense stronghold Guam, before heading to US allies Manila and Tokyo. All four stops are valuable to Washington’s strategy and presence in the Indo-Pacific.
“Your visit to the region and especially the face that you have come to the Philippines as your first stop… sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region, the South China Sea,” said Marcos in Malacañang during his meeting with Hegseth.
“Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese, and that friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there’s free navigation, whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, we recognize that your country has stand very firm in that location and in defense of your nation,” said Hegseth in his meeting with Marcos.
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Trump has said little about the region himself since returning to the White House — in stark contrast to his predecessor, Joe Biden, who realized previous US commitments to the region.
Ironclad commitment
Hegseth inherited a bilateral defense relationship that flourished under his predecessor, Lloyd Austin. Under Austin, Biden’s defense chief, Manila added four new bases to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows the US to preposition its assets in select locations in the Philippines.
It was also under Austin that the US pledged $500 million in foreign military financing, on top of the money it had already spent to develop EDCA bases. A handful more milestones also took place — the issuance of Bilateral Defense Guidelines; Washington’s hosting of a trilateral leaders summit between the US, the Philippines, and Japan; and the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement, among others.
Hegseth, as well as other top Trump officials, has previously said that America’s commitment to its former colony, the Philippines, remains “ironclad.”
Yet there had been worries about just what “ironclad” means, as the US under Trump upends long-established alliances and stances. Trump has either waged or threatened trade wars against the European Union, and neighbors Canada and Mexico. At the same time, the US has aligned itself with Russia in Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
American leaders’ disdain for Europe was especially apparent, based on a mess that’s haunted Hegseth just as he started his Indo-Pacific sojourn — their use of the encrypted chat app Signal to provide real-time and highly sensitive details about imminent US strikes on Yemen. — Rappler.com