Rappler
View from Manila: Welcome to the Indo-Pacific, Secretary Hegseth
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will visit the Philippines from March 28-29 as part of his Asia tour, which includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, and Japan.
His visit marks the first trip to the Philippines by a high-ranking official of the Trump administration.
Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and President Marcos to discuss strengthening bilateral and multilateral partnerships and increasing deterrence against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
The Philippines aims to leverage the visit for military modernization and economic support.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that Hegseth will advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with US and Philippine forces.
Hegseth inherits a bilateral defense relationship that has seen significant strides since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, including near-doubling of Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement sites and expanded Balikatan exercises.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will visit Manila from March 28 to 29, 2025, to meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
+2
Read more →
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to its alliance with the Philippines during a courtesy call to President Marcos, conveying greetings from President Trump.
+4
Read more →
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the critical importance of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly for the Philippines, due to perceived threats from China.
Read more →
The United States is set to deploy the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a mobile anti-ship missile launcher, and unmanned surface vessels in the Philippines.
Read more →
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may visit the White House to meet with US President Donald Trump in the first half of 2025, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.
Read more →