US Pledges $500 Million to Bolster Philippine Military Defences

Chinese militia ships are seen as Philippine ships conduct a resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5, 2024. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

The U.S. government has vowed to provide $500 million in funding for the Philippines’ military and Coast Guard as the Southeast Asian nation faces ongoing tensions with China in the hotly contested South China Sea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the funding in a press conference alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the headquarters of the Philippine Armed Forces in Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, on July 30.

The two were joined by their Philippine counterparts, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr, at the conference.

Blinken described the funding as a “once-in-a-generation investment” to support the “modernization” of Filipino forces and the Coast Guard, as they “transition to focus on external defense.”

He noted that both Manilla and Washington—as well as other countries in the region—share concerns about “some of the actions that the People’s Republic of China has taken,” including “escalatory actions in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and elsewhere.”

“We’re building on a lot of progress the Philippines has already made to be better positioned to defend their sovereignty,” Blinken said.

The Secretary of State said the Philippines has long been one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign military financing in the Indo-Pacific region.

Austin called the level of funding “unprecedented,” adding that it “sends a clear message of support for the Philippines, from the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. Congress, and the American people.”

Their Philippine counterparts welcomed the funding, with Teodoro Jr thanking the U.S. government for its continued assistance in “building up our capabilities.”

‘Credible Deterrent to Unlawful Foreign Aggression’

He said the money will “provide a tremendous boost” in helping the Philippines establish a “credible deterrent to unlawful foreign aggression.”

Ahead of the press conference, Blinken and Austin met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to discuss further bolstering relations with the U.S., according to a press release from the U.S. State Department.

The three officials also reaffirmed the “critical role” of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance in “realizing our shared vision of a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said.

A 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague declared the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) maritime claims over the South China Sea lacked legal basis under international law.

Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling.

The latest funding comes from the $2 billion approved in the 2024 Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act by U.S. Congress in April.

It comes as the CCP’s territorial claims in the South China Sea—an important trade route—have led to increasingly violent confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in recent months.

Last month, CCP forces injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged at least two military boats during a resupply mission to an outpost in the hotly-disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the strategically located water.

Multiple other violent incidents have prompted Manila to overhaul and modernize its armed forces and coastguard.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.