Faced with increasing aggression from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Philippines is turning its attention to this and other outside threats by bolstering collaborations with Allies and Partners to enhance external defenses. Philippine and United States military leaders have identified nine sites where rotating batches of U.S. forces can deploy and preposition their weapons and equipment. In September 2023, Australia and the Philippines upgraded their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, which includes an annual meeting of defense ministers to address rising security concerns. In April 2024, leaders from Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. held their first-ever trilateral summit. Japan and the Philippines agreed in July 2024 to allow the countries’ defense forces to train in each other’s territories as part of efforts to ensure a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, according to Indo-Pacific Defense Forum, a magazine produced by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Japan also agreed to provide the Philippines with a low-interest loan of about $412 million to acquire five Japanese patrol vessels. Philippine officials also are considering the potential impact of a PRC-Taiwan conflict and discussing plans for emergency refugee shelters.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered his military to shift its focus to external defense as the Chinese Communist Party’s actions in the South China Sea have become more aggressive.
“We’re under the gun,” Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Romualdez told The Associated Press (AP) in May 2024. “We don’t have the wherewithal to be able to fight all of this bullying coming from China so where else will we go? We went to the right party, which is the United States and those that believe in what the U.S. is doing.”
The PRC has repeatedly harassed Philippine Navy and Coast Guard ships with powerful water cannons, a military-grade laser, blocking maneuvers and other dangerous actions in the South China Sea. The incidents have led to collisions that injured several Filipino navy personnel and damaged supply boats. The provocations are part of Beijing’s expansive and arbitrary claims to the waters around Second Thomas Shoal. An international tribunal ruled in 2016 that the PRC had no lawful claims to the area, which falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Earlier in 2024, U.S. Marines and their Filipino counterparts conducted the annual Balikatan joint exercises, including a drill in which the allies sank a mock enemy ship in the South China Sea. The drills involved more than 16,000 military personnel and were the largest yet held by the two allies. The exercise was supported by more than 250 Australian and French defense personnel and attended by observers from several allied and security partner nations, AP reported. The allies also practiced repelling invading forces in the coastal province of Ilocos Norte, the Philippines’ northernmost province, by firing missiles and artillery rounds on floating targets at sea.
“We are absolutely battle-ready and that’s what we train for day in and day out,” U.S. Marine Maj. Robert Patterson told AP. “It’s important to enhance interoperability with our Filipino counterparts.”