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US to deploy 'additional capabilities' to PH -Hegseth

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
March 28, 2025, 4:58 pm

MANILA -- As part of the US efforts to establish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific Region, American Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth said they would deploy "additional capabilities" or weapons in the Philippines.

In a press briefing shortly after his meeting with Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Friday, Hegseth said this initiative is part of efforts to beef up the military partnership between the two nations.

"We agreed on the next steps to re-establish, and that's key, re-establish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific Region. These efforts build on an ongoing USD500-million commitment in foreign military financing and other security assistance to support the Philippines' military modernization," he added.

This was tackled during his meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the DND chief, Hegseth said.

"First, we agreed that the United States will deploy additional advanced capabilities to the Philippines. This includes using the NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) anti-ship missile system and highly capable unmanned surface vehicles in Exercise 'Balikatan' this April," the American defense official said.

Hegseth added that these systems will allow US forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to train together on using advanced capabilities to defend Philippine sovereignty.

"Second, to enhance interoperability for high-end operations, we agreed to conduct bilateral special operation forces training in the Batanes Islands," the DOD chief said.

Also, Hegseth said he and Teodoro agreed to prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation, as this is important.

"So today (Friday) we published a joint statement outlining our priority areas for cooperation. This includes co-producing unmanned systems and increasing combined logistics support. I was just in Guam before I came here. We can talk about big systems and advanced technologies, but if you don't have logistics support, I see the folks who run militaries and run formations, you need logistics support to actually operate and advance forward," he said.

Hegseth said these initiatives will help the two nations share burdens and promote a more comprehensive partnership.

"We intend for these efforts to boost both of our economies and strengthen supply chain resilience. And finally, we agreed to launch a bilateral cyber campaign. We're going to work together to reduce cyber vulnerabilities across our alliance, and increasing cybersecurity will allow even more advanced operational cooperation," he added. (PNA)