Philippines, US sign key military intel pact
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States sealed a key military intelligence sharing deal on Monday, November 18, allowing both allies to exchange classified defense information in real-time amid rising regional tensions.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the agreement at a ceremony in Manila — one of the Biden administration's final defense initiatives in Asia before the upcoming change in US leadership in January.
The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) establishes protocols for sharing military secrets between the two countries, though it stops short of requiring either nation to disclose sensitive data.
Under the agreement, both countries must report any breach of shared classified information immediately. The deal also allows for mutual security inspections and can be modified or suspended if needed, though it has no expiration date.
Timely info exchange, coordination
Today's signing of the bilateral agreement delivers on a commitment made by both nations during Austin's last visit to Manila in July to finalize the deal before 2025.
The agreement lays the foundation for "enhanced, expanded, and timely sharing of information and defense technology," according to a joint statement by both countries during a meeting between their foreign and defense officials in July.
Teodoro said in a press conference in July that the deal would give the Philippines a way to prepare for "vulnerabilities" and "unpredictabilities" in the future.
“It is an attempt and a continuing exercise to develop our operational security, which is a required stepping stone for our development of an armed force and a defense establishment with increasing sophistication to deal with vulnerabilities and with unpredictabilities in the future defense situation and picture,” Teodoro said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during Austin's courtesy call to Malacanang on Monday that the agreement marked an important step for the continued interoperability of Philippine and US military forces.
The Department of National Defense, in a press release, said the deal not only enables mutual access to classified military information but also opens opportunities for the Philippines to forge similar agreements with other "like-minded" nations, or nations who share similar positions with the Philippines on the international rules-based order.
The United States has the same agreement in place with other key Indo-Pacific allies, including India, South Korea, Australia, and Japan.
Coordination center. Teodoro and Austin also led the groundbreaking ceremony for a new combined coordination center at the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters, a facility designed to enhance military collaboration between both nations.
"This center will give both countries a fuller picture of our shared areas of responsibility and common approaches to threats against both our securities," Teodoro said.
The new center is also "part of the strategic approach to facing our shared threats that both of our countries have invested a lot of resources, a lot of manpower, and a lot of brainpower in," the Philippines' defense chief added.
The new facility will serve as a combined command center for strategic planning, joint operations, intelligence sharing, and rapid response coordination. According to the US Embassy in Manila, it builds on existing cooperation between the two nations, such as joint exercises like Balikatan and the Multilateral Maritime Combined Activities, and integrates new defense technologies and joint training to address "conventional and unconventional challenges."
Growing defense partnerships
The Philippines has actively expanded its defense partnerships this year amid more frequent clashes with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.
This year alone, the Philippines has conducted 10 joint maritime activities with various countries that support or recognize the 2016 arbitral award that ruled in favor of the Philippines. These are Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Relations between the Philippines and the US — the only country with which the Philippines has a mutual defense treaty — have expanded considerably under Marcos.
In July, the US pledged a whopping $500 million in foreign military aid for the Philippines to boost its military.
Before that, the Philippines granted US forces access to four more military sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement — a move that angered China.
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