MANILA, Philippines — The defense guidelines of allies Philippines and the United States will be released this week during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s official working visit to the United States.
“One thing that will come out of this visit and is on track to be made public on Wednesday, when President Marcos visits the Pentagon, is the first ever Bilateral Defense Guidelines [that] will be issued between the United States and the Philippines,” US Embassy in the Philippines Political Counselor Brett Blackshaw said in a forum hosted by the Strtabase ADR Institute.
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“My understanding is that it will be released during the visit, there might be a word or two that’s being finalized,” he added.
US and Philippine foreign affairs and defense met in Washington last month and said talks on the guidelines were already being fast tracked.
According to a White House fact sheet released on Tuesday, the guidelines will will “institutionalize key bilateral priorities, mechanisms, and process to deepen alliance cooperation and interoperability across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.”
The text will outline details on how the two countries will further work on priorities and interoperability, for example through information-sharing, defense capability development, among others. Blackshaw added that the document will also put into writing the challenges that the alliance faces and what can both countries do to manage them.
Washington has continuously backed Manila in the latter’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea to the chagrin of Beijing. Recent developments in the defense relationship, specifically with the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, has led China warning the Philippines against “stoking the fire” in its rivalry with the US over Taiwan.