The Philippines and Australia are set to formalize a new defense cooperation agreement as both nations move to strengthen their security ties, officials said Friday.
Speaking at a press conference after the second Philippines-Australia Defense Ministersโ Meeting in Manila, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said the accord will build on the two countriesโ 1995 memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.
โIt will encapsulate the totality of our engagement in defense, but it will include, for example, a commitment to hold annual Defense Ministersโ Meetings,โ Marles said.
โIt will look at how we can do more in terms of coordinating our exercise and operation tempo between our two countries. It will look to how we can do more in terms of pursuing infrastructure development here in the Philippines for the of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,โ he added.
The high-level dialogue of Manila and Canberra is part of efforts to institutionalize regular consultations on defense and security matters.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said they are working toward the signing of the pact in 2026, coinciding with the Philippinesโ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“There will be a lot of work following this statement of intent. Of course, we want to see a defense cooperation based on this statement of intent signed next year,โ Teodoro said.
Marles is also scheduled to witness activities under Exercise Alon 2025, Australiaโs largest overseas joint military exercise this year. The drills involve amphibious and land operations and include participation from the United States and Canada, with more than 3,600 personnel taking part.
The Philippines and Australia elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in 2023, paving the way for broader cooperation in defense, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.
In recent years, their armed forces have engaged in joint patrols, humanitarian assistance drills, and capacity-building exercises in the region.
The Philippines and Australia plan to sign the new pact to develop the Southeast Asian nation’s military infrastructure as they seek to counter China’s “unilateral activities” in the region.
Beijing and Manila have had a series of confrontations in the disputed South China Seaโa crucial waterway China claims in almost its entirety despite an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.
“We both acknowledge and are experiencing the pressure that the rules-based order is being placed under here in the Indo-Pacific,” Marles told reporters after meeting his Philippine counterpart in Manila.
He said the new pact, expected to be signed next year, would seek to boost the Philippines’ defense infrastructure and better coordinate military exercises between them.
“This will be a really important step forward in terms of our defense relationship,” Marles noted.
The Philippines, a US treaty ally, has been deepening its network of alliances with like-minded countries to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.
It signed a visiting forces pact with New Zealand this year and similar deals are in the works with France and Canada.
The Philippines also separately held its first joint patrols in the South China Sea with India this month.
“What we cannot control are the unilateral activities of China. Hence, the need for deterring China and giving the strong message that their activities will not be tolerated by the international (community),” Teodoro said.
The Philippine military reported on Thursday that at least five Chinese Coast Guard ships, equipped with high-caliber weapons, had conducted drills on the use of water cannons near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
A rusty warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, was grounded atop the atoll in 1999 to assert Manila’s presence in the area and has served as a garrison for a handful of Filipino troops. โWith Agence France Presse
