Pentagon: New alliance with the Philippines to counter threats in the region

The United States and the Philippines are stepping up their military cooperation—they've set up a new joint working group to boost readiness in the South China Sea region.

The announcement came after a meeting between the US and Philippine defense ministers at the ASEAN conference in Kuala Lumpur. The group's goal is to improve operational cooperation and planning between the countries.

At the summit, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also expressed concern about China's behavior toward US allies, particularly in light of increasing incidents in the South China Sea and tensions with Australia.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening deterrence in the region and announced plans to modernize their defense partnership over the next two years. The US and the Philippines also stated that their alliance remains crucial to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

(reuters, lup)