US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced additional military cooperation funding for the Philippines and agreed with Manila on efforts for enhanced interoperability between their forces on Wednesday, as Washington sought to strengthen its defence posture along the first island chain.
The Pentagon disclosed neither the size of the funding increase nor a timetable for the coordination initiative following Hegseth’s meeting with Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr in Cebu on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).
In separate talks, Hegseth and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to accelerate efforts to use facilities flexibly and run exercises to practise operating from dispersed locations, according to the Pentagon.