U.S. defense official calls Philippines ‘model ally’

MANILA, Philippines — A senior United States defense official on Monday hailed the Philippines as a “model ally” that is taking the lead in modernizing its defenses while strengthening regional deterrence.

U.S. Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby also reaffirmed Washington’s commitments to the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

Speaking at a Stratbase Group forum on Aug. 10, Colby said the United States remained a “willing partner” amid perceptions of a shift in U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

He said Washington’s new approach was to “build strength in ways that are durable and achieve their intended effect, of genuine peace through strength rather than rhetorical pressurization without adequate material strength and resolve.”

“We seek partnerships, not dependencies, and we understand that countries will engage widely just as we do,” Colby said. “We are putting our alliances on a sustainable, realistic, and durable footing for the long haul. When we ask our allies and partners to step up, to invest more in their own defense, and to take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment.”

“We are looking for partners, not protectorates. When our partners are strong, deterrence is strong. And that is exactly what we have here in Manila under the leadership of President Marcos, Secretary of National Defense Teodoro, and other key leaders,” he added.

The Manila stop was Colby’s first visit to the Philippine capital since assuming the Pentagon’s top policy post.

His visit formed part of a four-nation tour covering the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia as Washington sought to reaffirm its commitment to durable peace in the Indo-Pacific.

Colby also met President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday morning before attending the Stratbase forum.

Stratbase Group President Victor Andres Manhit said in his opening remarks that Colby’s visit was timely because the Philippine-U.S. alliance “carried greater weight than any point in recent memory.”

“The United States consistently ranks first among the countries they want the Philippine government to work with in defending our seas, especially in defending the West Philippine Sea and advancing our economic security. Today, that is precisely what we hope to explore, how this trust can be translated into a stronger, more capable, and more resilient alliance that responds to present challenges and contributes to a free and open rules-based Indo-Pacific,” Manhit said.

Colby said the Trump administration’s defense strategy centered on cultivating a “network of highly capable sovereign nations.”

He said those countries could establish a “denial defense” along the first island chain to make any potential regional aggression infeasible.

Colby described the Philippines as a “resolute and proud nation…determined to strengthen its own capabilities to better defend itself and its allies.”

He also praised Manila’s “clear-headed pragmatism” as the strategic approach required to meet the region’s security demands.

With support from the Philippines and other allies, Colby said, “we are actively building a strong denial defense to back up a peace-through-strength approach of a lastingly favorable balance of power in Asia.”

Colby identified the operationalization of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, investments in resilient defense infrastructure and expanded joint training as areas where the allies were converting their relationship into greater military capability.

Signed in 2014, EDCA supplements the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement by providing a framework for greater interoperability and rotational U.S. access to agreed Philippine military locations.

Colby said Washington was also supporting Philippine defense investments through the rotational deployment of four U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutters.

The cutters would work with the Philippine Coast Guard to secure and patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone.

“This is not a one-sided partnership,” Colby said, citing increased Philippine investments in modernizing its armed forces and coast guard.

“Alliances are most durable when they are based on shared responsibility, mutual interests governed by pragmatic respect, and underwritten by real capability on both sides, rather than permanent dependency,” he added.

Colby’s visit came as Manila and Washington continued to deepen defense cooperation amid mounting security tensions in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea.

The United States has repeatedly affirmed that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, aircraft and public vessels, including Philippine Coast Guard vessels, anywhere in the South China Sea.