US and Philippine defense chiefs signed an agreement yesterday on sharing classified military information and technology, as the long-time treaty allies deepen cooperation in a bid to counter Chinese influence in the region.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed the deal with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro at the start of a visit to Manila that also included a closed-door meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The General Security of Military Information Agreement allows for the sharing of classified information that could benefit a US ally’s national defense, and streamlines the sale of certain classified technologies, officials said.
Photo: AFP
It would give the Philippines access to “higher capabilities and big-ticket items” from the US and “open opportunities to pursue similar agreements with like-minded nations,” Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said.
Austin and Teodoro also held a ground-breaking ceremony for a combined command and coordination center inside the Philippine military’s headquarters in Manila.
“This center will enable real-time information sharing for a common operating picture. It will help boost interoperability for many, many years to come,” Austin said.
“It will be a place where our forces can work side by side to respond to regional challenges,” he added.
Philippine Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner said the center would “enhance our ability to collaborate during crises, fostering an environment where our strengths combine to safeguard peace and security in our region.”
The Philippine Department of National Defense said Austin is due to visit the western island of Palawan today for a meeting with Filipino forces responsible for patrolling the South China Sea and defending outposts.
Austin’s visit comes as the Marcos government pushes back against Beijing’s territorial claims over most of the South China Sea and as US president-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to office.
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) launched a week-long diplomatic blitz of South America on Thursday by inaugurating a massive deep-water port in Peru, a US$1.3 billion investment by Beijing as it seeks to expand trade and influence on the continent. With China’s demand for agricultural goods and metals from Latin America growing, Xi will participate in the APEC summit in Lima then head to the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, where he will also make a state visit to Brazil. Xi and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte participated on Thursday by video link in the opening
‘HARD-HEADED’: Some people did not evacuate to protect their property or because they were skeptical of the warnings, a disaster agency official said Typhoon Man-yi yesterday slammed into the Philippines’ most populous island, with the national weather service warning of flooding, landslides and huge waves as the storm sweeps across the archipelago nation. Man-yi was still packing maximum sustained winds of 185kph after making its first landfall late on Saturday on lightly populated Catanduanes island. More than 1.2 million people fled their homes ahead of Man-yi as the weather forecaster warned of a “life-threatening” effect from the powerful storm, which follows an unusual streak of violent weather. Man-yi uprooted trees, brought down power lines and smashed flimsy houses to pieces after hitting Catanduanes in the typhoon-prone
‘CHINA HAWKS’: Rubio and Michael Waltz, who is said to be next national security adviser, view Beijing as a threat and challenge to US economic and military might US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced new members of his incoming administration and was expected to pick US Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state. Rubio and US Representative Michael Waltz, who has been lined up for the powerful US national security adviser role, have notably hawkish views on China, which they see as a threat and challenge to US economic and military might. The two appointees, both from Florida, would be key architects of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, with the incoming president having promised to end the wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, and avoid any more
RSS