Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, during his visit to Philippines, said that the United States will strengthen its partnership with Manila to bolster deterrence against China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hailed the “shared warrior ethos” between the US and Japan Saturday on Iwo Jiwa, where he attended a memorial service for those who died in the bloody

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to travel to Manila this week to meet Philippine leaders and forces, the Pentagon announced last week.

The U.S. and its Philippine ally are also planning special forces training in the closest province to China-claimed Taiwan.

During Manila visit, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reiterates U.S. support for Philippines’ territorial defense.

The United States, Japan and the Philippines staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness Friday off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance.

Mr Hegseth, who was visiting the Philippines, blamed the previous Biden administration for insufficient actions that emboldened aggressors.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said the US and the Philippines must stand “shoulder to shoulder” against China in a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Hegseth, who is under scrutiny at home over his role in the accidental leaking of US strikes on Yemen to a journalist,