US and Philippines sign a pact to secure shared military intelligence
and weapons technology
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[November 18, 2024]
By JIM GOMEZ
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States and the Philippines signed
an agreement on Monday to secure the exchange of highly confidential
military intelligence and technology in key weapons the U.S. would
provide to Manila.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto
Teodoro, signed the legally binding General Security of Military
Information Agreement in Manila at a time when the longtime treaty
allies have boosted their defense and military engagements, including
large-scale joint combat drills, largely in response to China’s
increasingly aggressive actions in Asia.
The outgoing Biden administration has taken steps to strengthen an arc
of military alliances across the Indo-Pacific region to better counter
China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan or in the
disputed South China Sea, which Beijing has claimed almost in its
entirety.
That has dovetailed with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s
thrust to strengthen his country’s external defenses given an alarming
escalation of territorial confrontations between Chinese and Filipinos
forces in the South China Sea.
The Department of National Defense in Manila said the agreement aims to
ensure the security of classified military information that would be
exchanged between the U.S. and the Philippines.
It will “allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and
big-ticket items from the United States,” the Philippine defense
department said.
Neither side provided more details or released a copy of the agreement.
Two Philippine security officials, however, have told The Associated
Press that such an agreement, similar to ones Washington has signed with
other allied countries, would allow the U.S. to provide the Philippines
with higher-level intelligence and more sophisticated weapons, including
missile systems.
It would also provide the Philippine military access to U.S. satellite
and drone surveillance systems with an assurance that such intelligence
and details about sophisticated weapons would be kept highly secure to
prevent possible leaks, the two Philippine officials said on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive
issue publicly.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, shakes hands with
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a courtesy call at
the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.
(AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)
Philippine efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons from the U.S.
military in the past have been hampered by a lack of such an
intelligence deal, including when Filipino forces were scrambling to
fight a 2017 siege by Filipino and foreign militants aligned with
the Islamic State group in southern Marawi city. Philippine forces,
backed by U.S. and Australian spy planes, quelled the uprising after
five months.
Austin and Teodoro also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a
center where the U.S. and Philippine militaries would coordinate
future joint operations, including the exchange of information.
Austin said the center “will be a place where our forces can work
side-by-side to respond to regional challenges."
Austin renewed the U.S. commitment to the Philippines as an ally and
told Teodoro that “we are more than allies. We are family."
The coordinating center, Teodoro said, would provide “a unified
picture of the shared areas of responsibility and common approaches
to threats against both our securities."
"I’m sure it will benefit future generations of both our peoples to
come because although we may change people, the values don’t
change,” Teodoro said.
The Philippine defense chief reiterated the crucial need for the
U.S. security presence in the region, citing Marcos’s repeated
statements that such a presence “is essential for maintaining peace
and stability in this region."
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Associated Press journalist Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
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