General Romeo Brawner Jr, Admiral John Aquilino, and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson arrive at Basa Air Base on September 13, 2023 to visit EDCA projects. Over 500 bilateral engagements are set to be implemented in 2024 by the Philippine and US militaries.
In a statement, the AFP said the Philippine military and the US Indo-Pacific Command concluded its annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Thursday, September 14. The AFP said the meeting is the culminating activity of the PH-US planning cycle that assessed previous activities and “set out over 500 bilateral engagements for 2024 to include exercises and high-level exchanges between the allied nations, matters of security cooperation activities, and the strategic vision including maritime security, information sharing, and capacity and capability development, among others.
Brawner and Aquilino have also agreed to expedite the completion of EDCA projects with 63 more projects, in addition to the 32 allocated earlier.seek access to more military basesMeanwhile, the AFP said the meeting reaffirmed the two nations' commitment to the PH-US alliance as espoused in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the joint pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific region against a backdrop of a rules-based international order.