On Monday, the US and the Philippines took steps to boost their military alliance by signing a new intelligence and weapons technology sharing agreement and starting the construction of a new joint command center in the Philippines.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed the intelligence deal, the General Security of Military Information Agreement, with his Philippine counterpart, Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, during a visit to Manila.
The Philippine Defense Minister said the agreement will “allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States.”
Details of the agreement weren’t released, but unnamed Philippine officials told the AP it would allow the US to provide the Philippines with higher-level intelligence and more sophisticated weapons, including missile systems. It will also give the Philippine military access to US drone and surveillance data.
Austin and Teodoro also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Combined Coordination Center at Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Philippine military.
“This center will enable real-time information sharing for a common operating picture, and it will help boost interoperability for many years to come. It will be a place where our forces can work side-by-side to respond to regional challenges,” Austin said at the ceremony.
The US has been expanding its military footprint in the Philippines and increasing military ties with Manila as part of its plans for a future war with China in the region. The US is also strongly backing the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea, an area that has turned into a potential flashpoint for a conflict between the US and China.
Chinese and Philippine vessels often have tense encounters near disputed rocks and reefs in the South China Sea that sometimes end in collision. The US always uses the incidents to remind China that the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty covers attacks on Philippine boats.
