US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, for the Philippines-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on 30 July 2024. (Janes/Carlo Munoz)
Cyber security, maritime domain awareness, and asymmetric warfare capabilities are at the top of the list on the first military modernisation road map for the Philippines, designed to bolster revamp of current combat capabilities and integration of advanced technologies into the Southeast Asian country's armed forces, as Manila and other US allies attempt to restrain Chinese aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro agreed to the basic tenets of the Philippines-Security Sector Assistance Roadmap (P-SSAR) during the most recent Philippines-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, held in Manila on 30 July.
The meeting was the fourth time military and foreign policy leaders from both countries convened the 2+2 dialogues, but the 30 July bilateral meeting was the first one hosted by the Philippines. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo also participated in the talks, held at General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila.
The memorandum of co-operation (MOC) signed by Austin and Teodoro will set the groundwork for the “bilaterally determined priority capability requirements” for the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) over the next decade, as well as future “US capacity-building efforts, programmes, and activities” with the AFP and PCG, according to a joint statement issued after the 2+2 talks.
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