TRILATERAL SUMMIT. Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., then-outgoing US President Joe Biden, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a historic trilateral summit in Washington, D.C., in April 2024. During a press briefing at the summit, President Marcos discussed the purpose of the meeting and emphasized its role in strengthening and deepening ties with two of the nation’s most steadfast allies.(US Embassy photo)
MANILA – It bears no project name, but the ultimate objective is to maximize and revitalize, in the strongest possible terms, stronger relationships and cooperation with the country’s long-term allies, both in terms of economic stability and geographical security.
This has been one of the thrusts of the Bagong Pilipinas, being espoused by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a brand of governance and leadership that would catapult the Philippines to the next level.
President Marcos reiterated this during the high-level general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly in September 2022 at the UN headquarters in New York. As much as he could, the President said, he wanted the Philippines to be friends with all nations and enemies to none.
The President, likewise, spearheaded the historic trilateral leaders’ summit among the Philippines, the United States, and Japan held in April 2024 at the White House, the first-of-its-kind meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
During a press briefing at the summit, President Marcos discussed the purpose of the meeting and emphasized its role in strengthening and deepening ties with two of the nation’s most steadfast allies. “The trilateral agreement is not something that is only about convenience or because there is a new situation; I really view it as a continuing evolution of our relationship with both countries, with the U.S. and Japan,” the Chief Executive said.
While the topic of defense and military cooperation was extensively discussed during the meeting, especially given current geopolitical developments, other equally vital issues were also tackled.
“This is evidenced by the fact that a large part of the agreement is on economic output, proposals, and economic assistance and partnership between the three countries, security and defense, of course, are there.
But that is not the main point of the trilateral agreement,” he continued.
In July 2024, Marcos also welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who visited Manila for the historic “2+2” meetings between the two countries, hosted by the Philippines for the first time.
In November 2022, US Vice President Kamala Harris also visited the Philippines to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the defense alliance with Manila.
Neil Vinluan, a former student leader and now working as a non-government organization worker, lauded the efforts of the Marcos administration to strengthen further ties with the Philippine allied nations.
“As an NGO worker, I am exposed to the needs of the communities, especially those that are living in remote and less-privileged areas. The assistance and logistical support of ally countries are most welcome if this means uplifting the welfare of the communities,” Vinluan said.
These are some other highlights of the Marcos administration’s commitment to strengthening military alliances with partner nations globally.
Defense cooperation engagements with regional partners, allies
The Department of National Defense has increased the tempo of the country’s international defense and security engagements with like-minded nations by elevating the dialogues and exploring more areas for collaboration on traditional and non-traditional security concerns.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said AFP’s engagement with regional and international partners is fostering alliances through joint exercises, information-sharing, and capacity-building initiatives.
The AFP is actively cooperating with its US counterpart in facilitating and completing important military activities. The annual ‘Balikatan’ military exercises, jointly led by the Philippines and the US are carried out to make both nations learn from each other’s defense capabilities and even integrate the participation of other partner nations and militaries.
Continuously developed and implemented every year, the most recent Balikatan from April to May 2024 was the largest annual combined military exercise between the Philippines and the US in history, marked by the attendance of representatives from 14 nations as observers, extensive field training events such as a live-fire maritime strike (sinking) exercise and humanitarian civic assistance programs.
In November 2023, the AFP and the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) successfully completed their first three-day maritime cooperative activity (MCA), followed by the second MCA in January 2024. The activities were aimed at testing protocols and further enhancing interoperability operations between the two countries’ military forces.
In August 2024, the Philippines held a multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in its waters. Australia, Canada, the Philippines, and the US teamed up to show they were serious about maritime issues. They all agreed that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral ruling is important and must be respected. Most recently, in December 2024, a tripartite MCA between the Philippines, the US, and Japan was conducted in the waters of the West Philippine Sea.
Under the “Bagong Pilipinas” administration, similar military cooperation is carried out with other allies like Australia, South Korea, and France, among others.
Negotiation, conclusion of new reciprocal access agreements
The defense cooperation between the AFP and its Japanese counterpart, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), has been formally sealed with the ratification of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the two countries.
On Dec. 16, 2024, Senate Resolution No. 1248 was unanimously approved by the Senate following the ratification of the RAA by President Marcos on Nov. 5, 2024. Aside from the pending ratification on Japan’s end, which would also need the concurrence of their National Diet, this is the final requirement for the enforcement of the agreement.
The RAA serves as a legal framework aimed at further strengthening collaboration and allowing the facilitation of exercises between the AFP and JMSDF. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro disclosed that the ‘”Bagong Pilipinas” leadership of Marcos is also eyeing the possibility of signing equivalent RAAs with other allied nations, including Canada, France, and New Zealand.
“They will all look the same; they will allow the armed forces of these different countries to operate with the Philippine Armed Forces within the Philippine territorial jurisdiction and vice versa, so it will increase interoperability between these countries,” Teodoro said, also mentioning that talks for possible RAAs with other countries are hoped for in 2025.
PH, US armed forces to secure military intelligence sharing
The Philippines and the US in November 2024 formally signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a landmark security measure to ensure the protection of classified military information. The agreement serves as a framework for facilitating the exchange of classified military data between the two nations.
AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said GSOMIA ushers in the dawn of a new era of collaboration and partnership between the Philippines and the US, particularly its Armed Forces. Brawner noted that the combined coordination center will be a vital nexus for our joint operations, a gateway for information sharing and strategic coordination, adding that the agreement will elevate our capabilities in humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and maritime security, ensuring that we can act swiftly and effectively when the need arises.
Revitalization of EDCA
Under the “Bagong Pilipinas” administration, plans and action to accelerate the full implementation of the bilateral Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US has finally resumed after years of stagnation. In February 2023, Manila and Washington designated four new EDCA locations in the country: Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac in Palawan.
Prior to that, there were five original EDCA sites initially agreed upon in 2016: Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; and Benito Air Base in Cebu.
In November 2022, both countries announced an agreement to complete infrastructure enhancement, repair projects, and develop new facilities in these locations. The DND has emphasized that EDCA further enhances capabilities by allowing an increased rotational presence of US troops in the Philippines, thereby bolstering cooperation and interoperability to address shared security concerns.
During a news forum on March 25, 2023, DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong clarified that EDCA does not give the US “unlimited access” to EDCA locations. “The main purpose [of the EDCA sites] is to be hubs for our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, like recently, our EDCA site in Nueva Ecija is where all the relief goods for calamity-affected areas were flown out from,” Andolong said.
“It’s not a US base. It’s still a Philippine base; they can be granted access, but they can’t be stationed permanently,” he clarified.
PH Security Sector Assistance Roadmap
The Philippines and the US have finalized an agreement that aligns the joint priorities of both countries in terms of enhancing the capabilities of the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The Philippine Security Sector Assistance Roadmap (P-SSAR) was finalized on July 29, 2024, a day before the convention of the fourth Philippines-US “2+2” Ministerial Dialogue, the first held in Manila on July 30. The roadmap outlines the bilaterally determined priority capability requirements of the AFP and the PCG to be supported by Philippine national funds and US capacity-building efforts, programs, and activities.
P-SSAR was officially signed on July 30, 2024 by US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson and Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured that the defense and security support by the US will continue whoever wins the presidential elections.
P-SSAR will serve as guidance in sharing defense modernization planning and investments as well as provide information on the delivery of priority platforms over the next five to 10 years.
