Comprised of ships and personnel from three U.S. 7th Fleet task forces, Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), and a detachment from Commander, Task Group (CTG) 75.1/Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 joined together to form a Surface Action Group (SAG) while underway in […]Read More

Pacific Partnership 21, the annual U.S-led multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific, kicked off with a medical subject matter expert exchange at Manila Naval Hospital, July 28. The Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast transport ship USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) arrived at the mission port July 14, where […]Read More

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday handed over the diplomatic note recalling the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III. In a statement following their meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Locsin said the US has shown its commitment to fulfilling its obligations […]Read More

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and U.S. Embassy Chargé d’affaires John C. Law signed the Philippine-United States Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (AMSAR) Agreement on 30 July 2021. The AMSAR Agreement provides delimitations on the search and rescue regions of the Philippines and the United States. It fosters stronger bilateral cooperation in […]Read More

The Philippine Army together with the United States Army completed Ph-US “Salaknib” Exercise 2021 on July 31, 2021 at Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. The Ph-US “Salaknib” Exercise 2021 is a three-week bilateral Army-to-Army exercise composed of 15 training events including urban operations, intelligence, combat engineers operations, indirect fires, medical planning, counter-IED, Military […]Read More

The Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam marked their 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties on 12 July 2021. For the past 45 years, the two countries have shown notable developments of bilateral diplomatic relations through cooperation in various fields, including defense and security. Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana and Minister of […]Read More

The first of two 94-meter multi-role response vessels (MMRVs) acquired by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project Phase II (MSCIP Phase 2) has been launched at the Shimonoseki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Japan today, 26 July 2021. The two MRRVs […]Read More

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba project has received a “record number” of 34 bids from six local and 17 international companies to participate in the construction of the 40.5-kilometer rail project. In a Facebook post, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said the record turnout is proof that the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, […]Read More

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana gave President Rodrigo R. Duterte a rating of “90 percent” in terms of his administration’s accomplishments in preserving peace and security in the country. “As far as (the) DND is concerned, ang rating ni Presidente ay 90 percent dahil nadagdagan niya ‘yung equipment ng ating mga sundalo at maganda yung direktiba niya sa amin […]Read More

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, has pledged the military’s support for the development of Pagasa Island and the protection of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). In a virtual meeting with Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez on July 19, Sobejana acknowledged the need to turn Pagasa Island into a “logistics hub” to […]Read More