SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Secretary Lorenzana, welcome back to the Pentagon. It's great to host you here for the second time. And I want to first take a moment to express my deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life and damage that the Philippines has suffered from Tropical Storm Megi. We're mourning right alongside you and all Filipinos today. So please accept our deepest condolences.
We have spoken several times over the past year, including a highly productive meeting in Manila in July, and our talks here in September this year. I know that our teams have been meeting frequently as well over the past year and they have done a great deal to advance some of the forward-looking alliance initiatives that you and I have discussed. And all of this is a testament to the strength of our alliance and our friendship. And it's also a tribute to your leadership, Mr. Secretary. And we are truly grateful for your leadership.
I can't think of a better demonstration of our alliance's vigor than the way that our forces recently came together for our bilateral exercise Balikatan. Despite the pandemic, this was one of the largest of these exercises ever, including exercising a new range of capabilities. And that just underscores our shared commitment to this alliance, and that commitment is ironclad.
Now I'm looking forward to discussing several priority areas for the alliance going forward. They include strengthening our mutual defense treaty commitments, enhancing our maritime cooperation, and improving our interoperability and our information-sharing. All of these efforts underscore our promise to ensure that our alliance stands ready to tackle future challenges.
And, Mr. Secretary, America remains deeply committed to a sovereign and secure Philippines. And that commitment is rooted in both our shared interests and our shared values. And right now, Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has reminded us all of the importance of standing together to defend our core principles and working together to preserve the international rules-based order. I look forward to discussing ways to do just that and to continuing to deepen our alliance.
So, again, Mr. Secretary, thanks for making the trip. And it's always great to have you here.