Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III emphasized the United States' commitment to further deepening ties with key allies throughout the Indo-Pacific after meeting with top officials today in Manila, the Philippines.
Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held high-level talks with their Philippine counterparts, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, as part of the fourth Philippines-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
During the meeting, the leaders outlined measures to build upon the recent strides in the U.S.-Philippine alliance to include advancements in technology and cyber cooperation as well as steps to further enhance economic resilience through cooperation in key sectors including renewable energy, agriculture and food security.
Austin and Blinken also highlighted their work with Congress to allocate $500 million in foreign military financing from the 2024 Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and $125 million outlined in next year's budget request for Philippine infrastructure across seven sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The two countries also reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty and "underscored the importance of working even more closely with likeminded allies and partners, including Australia and Japan," Austin said during a news conference following the talks.
"This is part of what I've described as the new convergence in the Indo-Pacific, and we can see that new convergence right here," he said. "The United States, the Philippines, and our other allies and partners are operating together more closely and capably than ever, and we're working together to ensure a free and open region."
The meeting was held as part of Austin's 11th trip to the Indo-Pacific which also included meetings alongside Blinken with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Tokyo on Sunday.
While in Tokyo, Austin and Kihara met with the South Korean defense minister for a trilateral ministerial meeting, held for the first time in Japan. The exchange is a key component of the U.S., South Korea and Japan security cooperation dialogue.
After returning to the U.S. later this week, Austin and Blinken will host Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for this year's Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations.
The series of engagements mark a continuation of President Joe Biden's strategy of sustained engagement in the United States' priority theater of operations.
"I know that it's easy to focus on the crisis of the day, but just look at what our strategy has achieved in the Indo-Pacific over the past 3 1/2 years," Austin said yesterday during a joint press conference with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., at the Pentagon.
The secretary noted that the U.S. has nearly doubled its military construction investments in the Indo-Pacific over the last fiscal year and has continued to make significant improvements to its force posture in the region.
The U.S. has also led the way in uniting a broad network of partners focused on solving key regional challenges.
"Our ties with Australia are stronger than ever," Austin said. "We've improved our relationships with Vietnam, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and many more."