Jonathan Frederic De Santos

US Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth welcomes billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk to the Pentagon on March 21, 2025. US Department of Defense photo

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1742601106740250321-D-FN350-1249.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">US Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth welcomes billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk to the Pentagon on March 21, 2025. US Department of Defense photo </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — US Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth will visit the Philippines for meetings with the government and the military, the US Department of Defense said in an advisory Saturday.</p><p>The Philippines is among the stops in Hesgeth&#x27;s trip across the Indo-Pacific region that includes activites and meetings in Hawaii, Guam and Japan.</p><p>It also happens amid concerns over US President Donald Trump&#x27;s <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/6/will-trump-s-actions-force-asian-allies-to-embrace-china-1326">statements on Ukraine</a> and his comments on the alliance with Japan.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/7/us-japan-alliance-unequal-trump-complains-1233">US-Japan alliance unequal, Trump complains<br/></a></div><p>The US defense department said Hesgeth, a former soldier and TV presenter, &quot;will travel to the Philippines, where he will advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with US and Philippine forces.&quot;</p><p>The US has <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/6/ph-us-relations-to-remain-iron-clad-regardless-of-who-wins-us-presidency-envoy-1116">reiterated its &quot;ironclad&quot; commitment to the Philippines</a>, its treaty ally and former colonizer, in the face of China&#x27;s actions in the South China Sea — part of which is the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/6/ph-us-relations-to-remain-iron-clad-regardless-of-who-wins-us-presidency-envoy-1116">New Secretary of State Rubio affirms &#x27;ironclad&#x27; US commitment to Philippines</a></div><p>The US holds regular military exercises with Philippine troops, has access to select Armed Forces of the Philippines facilities and, as of November 2024, had <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/20/us-defense-chief-austin-bares-existence-of-us-task-force-ayungin-amid-west-ph-sea-tensions-1313">a task force in Palawan</a> providing technical assistance in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Miv_g2zgg8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines is among the stops in Hesgeth's trip across the Indo-Pacific region that includes activites and meetings in Hawaii, Guam and Japan.</p>

The Philippines is among the stops in Hesgeth's trip across the Indo-Pacific region that includes activites and meetings in Hawaii, Guam and Japan.

US defense chief to visit Philippines for meetings on 'security objectives'

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US defense chief to visit Philippines for meetings on 'security objectives'

ABS-CBN News

Published March 22, 2025 09:03 AM PHT

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