The Philippines and the United States reaffirmed their longstanding alliance. They are committed to protecting freedom of navigation and the lawful use of the seas in the face of rising tensions in the South China Sea. Following the 12th Philippines – United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD), which took place in Manila, senior officials from both countries met to discuss cooperation in the political, security, and economic spheres.
Cooperation in defense, economy, and maritime
The Joint Statement highlights significant aspects of cooperation in the three spheres identified above as follows:
- Defense Cooperation: The two countries made a commitment to enhance the joint capabilities of each, improve interoperability, and refine the execution of joint training exercises to ensure readiness in contingency situations, including support for civilian-led disaster response.
- Economic Partnership: The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to improve the Luzon Economic Corridor, establishing new critical mineral supply chains, and to develop new energy and nuclear infrastructure to enable long-term regional security.
- Maritime Security: Both parties are committed to maintaining a vigilant stance in the Indo-Pacific to prevent conflict and to develop strong deterrents to maintain open sea lanes.
The alliance has evolved beyond traditional defense cooperation into other areas, such as the exchange of information concerning cybersecurity and outer space. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. noted the relevance of this partnership to national and regional security and the increasing cooperation in emerging strategic domains.
Commitments under treaties and strategic investment
The Philippines and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to the 1951 United States – Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, and the commitment includes the mutual defense obligation to respond to armed attacks against armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels, including those of the Coast Guard, anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
The United States has committed to investing in the Philippine energy and health sectors, including $1.5 million to support the design and construction of a small modular reactor control room simulator, and a $250 million commitment to support health security in the Philippines. Both countries have committed to deepening coordination among law enforcement agencies to counter transnational repression, cybercrime, online scams, and illicit drug trafficking.
The BSD also recognized the role of the Philippines as the ASEAN Chair in 2026, and both countries will work together to promote peace and stability in the region and to promote ASEAN centrality in the changing Indo-Pacific security landscape. The United States and the Philippines have agreed to increase the deployment of advanced U.S. missiles and unmanned systems, to improve joint disaster response and maritime monitoring capabilities, and to expand multilateral defense cooperation through bilateral and multilateral exercises.
People-to-people and regional cooperation
In addition to security, both countries stated that they believed it was essential to create additional opportunities for people-to-people contacts and institutional interactions by increasing educational exchange and capacity building, as well as science and technology cooperation.
Both countries also highlighted the importance of inclusive economic growth through infrastructure development, digital connectivity, sustainable development, food security, and climate resilience. The United States reaffirmed its support for Philippine-led development priorities while encouraging the private sector to become increasingly engaged in foreign direct investment. The dialogue also discussed regional multilateralism, and both governments reiterated their commitment to ASEAN centrality and cooperation with like-minded partners to strengthen regional institutions.
As the Philippines prepares to take over the chairmanship of ASEAN, both countries have reaffirmed their support for the advancement of regional integration and economic stability. They also reaffirmed their support for coordinated responses to security challenges. In general, the outcomes of the 12th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue demonstrate a wide-ranging and forward-looking partnership that positions the Philippines and the United States to collectively address the evolving geopolitical, economic, and technological challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
