MANILA, Philippines — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday vowed to provide the Philippines with an anti-ship missile system to improve interoperability, strengthen its ability to deal with conflict and boost maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific Region.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomes US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a courtesy call at Kalayan Hall in Malacañan Palace on Friday, March 28, 2025.
(Noel B. Pabalate / PPA Pool)
Hegseth gave this assurance in a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo where he talked about the transfer of the US Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) to the Philippines ahead of the Balikatan exercises between the two countries in April.
Hegseth said the US would also be conducting bilateral special operation forces training in Batanes.
Hegseth and his Philippine counterpart, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., agreed to prioritize defense industrial cooperation which he dubbed as “critical” as this includes co-producing unmanned systems and increasing combined logistics support.
“These systems will enable US forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to train together on using advanced capabilities to defend the Philippines’ sovereignty,” Hegseth said.
“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,” Hegseth said.
He said the US initiatives with the Philippines would help them share burdens and promote a more comprehensive partnership.
“We intend for these efforts to boost both of our economies and strengthen supply chain resilience,” Hegesth.
“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,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth and Teodoro discussed the enduring US-Philippines alliance and reaffirmed its importance for upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“These efforts will accelerate the defense partnership and ensure that the alliance is postured to address the most consequential challenges in the Indo-Pacific region,” Hegseth said.
The two defense leaders reiterated both countries’ shared commitment to the 1951 MDT in an increasingly complex security environment.
“So together we’ll encourage our other partners and allies in the region to step up their efforts and their cooperation to increase defense capabilities and strengthen deterrence,” Hegseth said in reference to the Philippine Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) among allied nations amid China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
“It reflects the strength, as I said, of our ironclad alliance, particularly in the face of communist China aggression in the region. And our partnership demonstrates our commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said.
