US to provide $500m military aid for Philippines

Blinken emphasised that the additional foreign military financing aims to bolster security collaboration with the US’s oldest treaty ally in the region…reports Asian Lite News

The United States announced a $500 million military funding package on Tuesday to modernize the Philippine armed forces, as the two nations strengthen their defence cooperation amid ongoing tensions with China over the South China Sea. The announcement was made following a meeting in Manila between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Philippine counterparts, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Blinken emphasised that the additional foreign military financing aims to bolster security collaboration with the US’s oldest treaty ally in the region. He described it as a “once-in-a-generation investment” to modernize the Filipino Armed Forces and Coast Guard.

This increased US support follows a series of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, where China claims extensive territorial rights. Recently, Chinese coast guard ships rammed and boarded Philippine naval vessels during a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal, a contentious area in the disputed waters.

Austin reiterated that the US-Philippines mutual defence treaty is foundational to their alliance and clarified that it covers armed attacks on either nation’s forces, aircraft, or vessels in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the resource-rich region, which is a critical global trade route. Despite a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague rejecting China’s expansive claims, Beijing has continued to assert its presence in the area.

The US and the Philippines also agreed to enhance cooperation in cybersecurity and other areas, aiming to strengthen the Southeast Asian country’s resilience against external threats. Defence Secretary Teodoro highlighted that the funding will not only enhance military capabilities but also improve humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Don McLain Gill, an international studies lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila, noted that the funding is crucial for the Philippines as it implements its comprehensive archipelagic defence concept and advances its military modernization program. He described the aid as a significant development in the US-Philippines alliance and emphasized the US’s role as a key capacity builder and security provider.

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