MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will remain an important country to the US for many years in the future, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
During his visit to Palawan on Tuesday, Austin said the US is committed to the defense of the Philippines, reiterating that the US commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) is ironclad.
He reiterated that the MDT applies to armed attacks on either of the two countries’ armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels, including coast guards anywhere in the South China Sea.
The past few years, Austin said, have been a period of truly historic progress for the US-Philippine alliance.
“If I look back on… how far we’ve come in terms of strengthening this relationship in the last four years, it really is phenomenal,” he said.
“I believe that this (the Philippines) will remain an important country to us for many, many years in the future. And you know, the strength of our alliance, I think, will transcend changes of administration going forward,” Austin added.
The Pentagon chief emphasized that the US remains committed to the MDT, and stands with the Philippines in condemning the dangerous actions by China against the lawful Philippine operations in the South China Sea.
“We should be calling out what President Xi (Jinping) is thinking about insofar as China is concerned, because the operative factor, the causative factor, which has caused this alliance to be as robust as it is, is the Chinese overreach and aggression in this part of the world,” he added.
Austin met with President Marcos and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
He and Teodoro attended an official signing ceremony for the newly established General Security of Military Information Agreement, 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 US 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 to further enable information sharing between US and Philippine forces.
Before departing the Philippines, Austin observed a Philippine Navy technical demonstration showcasing T-12 unmanned surface vessels provided by the US through foreign military financing. The T-12 is a key capability used by Philippine forces to protect its sovereignty and operate throughout its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Austin’s stop in the Philippines was his fourth visit to the country since taking office, the most visits ever by a US secretary of defense.