US, PH eyed for ammo plant in Subic

The Philippines is open to establishing an ammunition manufacturing site within the country, signaling a potential boost to its defense and economic cooperation with the United States.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez stated that such a facility would strengthen defense ties and create employment opportunities, with several Philippine companies interested in participating.

US President Donald Trump stated that the proposed ammunitions facility in Subic would result in the Philippines and the United States having 'more ammunition than any country has ever had', including 'all the speedy missiles... the slow ones, the accurate ones, the ones that are slightly less accurate'.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the proposed US ammunition hub in Subic and other defense and security deals with the US, stating it is 'necessary' for the modernization of the Philippine military in response to the South China Sea situation.

The proposed joint project is part of a broader US-Philippines defense cooperation agenda under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The US House Committee on Appropriations has ordered its Department of Defense, State Department, and the International Development Finance Corp. to assess the feasibility of establishing such facility in Subic Bay.