Hegseth Discussed South China Sea With Philippine Defense Sec

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. held an introductory call Wednesday to discuss defense cooperation in the US-Philippines Alliance, according to a Defense Dept. readout.

• Discussed importance of reestablishing deterrence in the South China Sea, including by working with allies and partners
• Talked about enhancing capability, capacity of the Philippine armed forces
• Hegseth reaffirmed US’s “ironclad” commitment to 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty
• Hegseth to remain in close coordination with Teodoro
• NOTE: in Nov. US, Philippines Sign New Military Deal Before Trump’s Return

To view the source of this information, click here

To contact the ...