US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III visited Tuesday one of the nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, as well as the Philippines Western Command (WESCOM) headquarters in Palawan, as part of his sideline activities in his official visit to the country.
According to the Department of National Defense (DND), Austin together with Philippine leaders discussed efforts to advance operational planning and deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with like-minded partners in the South China and West Philippine Seas.
Austin traveled to the EDCA site located at the Antonio Bautista Airbase in Puerto Princesa, Palawan with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., the DND said in a statement.
The American official also reaffirmed the ironclad US commitment to the Philippines and reiterated the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, which extends to both countries’ armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea.
The leaders also visited a bilateral C2 Fusion Center—one of several built by US Indo-Pacific Command in the Philippines to enhance information sharing.
They observed a demonstration of a T-12 Unmanned Surface Vessel, one of several unmanned capabilities that the US provided to the Philippine Navy through Foreign Military Financing, which are instrumental to advance the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and maritime domain awareness capabilities.
They also discussed how the AFP can further leverage innovative technologies to protect and defend Philippine sovereignty in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“The engagements of both the Philippine and US Defense Secretaries further reaffirm the strength of the alliance and underscore both nations’ commitment to peace, security, and shared values in the Indo-Pacific region,” the joint statement added.
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, and WesCom chief Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres, Jr., and other ranking Filipino military officials were also present during the activities.
