The Philippines and the United States are working to conclude and sign a key military intelligence sharing deal by the end of the year, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said Tuesday.
Speaking after the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Austin said both nations are committed to making the defense alliance “even more secure through technology and security and cyber cooperation”.
“We reiterated our shared intent to conclude a general security of military information agreement (GSOMIA) by the end of the year. Now, that’s crucial to our shared cybersecurity goals,” he said.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., meanwhile, said the deal would serve as a tool to help the Philippines develop its operational security.
“It is an attempt and a continuing exercise to develop our operational security, which is a required stepping stone for our development of an armed force and a defense establishment with increasing sophistication to deal with vulnerabilities and with unpredictabilities in the future defense situation and picture,” he said.
