ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Squad' expansion seen as PH, New Zealand eye joint military training

'Squad' expansion seen as PH, New Zealand eye joint military training

Published Jul 9, 2025 01:17 pm
(L-R) Major General Robert Krushka, commander of the Joint Forces of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. shake hands during a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on July 7, 2025. (Photo: DND)
(L-R) Major General Robert Krushka, commander of the Joint Forces of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. shake hands during a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on July 7, 2025. (Photo: DND)
The Philippines and New Zealand are seeking to establish joint military training under the framework of their defense cooperation agreement which could ultimately lead to the expansion of the “Squad”.
The Department of National Defense (DND) revealed that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Major General Robert Krushka, commander of the Joint Forces of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), met at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on July 7 to discuss regional security dynamics and explore opportunities to strengthen the two nations’ defense cooperation.
“In addition to enhancing collaboration on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), Secretary Teodoro noted the potential involvement of the NZDF in activities under the quadrilateral cooperation among the Philippines, United States, Australia, and Japan once the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) enters into force,” the DND said in a statement on Wednesday, July 9.
“This could include participation in future iterations of both bilateral and multilateral military exercises,” it added.
Manila and Wellington signed the SOVFA last April 30, setting the legal terms for the entry, stay, and activities of New Zealand and Philippine military forces in each other’s territories.
It also provides a legal framework to make joint defense and humanitarian activities smoother and more effective as it forces from both countries can respond more quickly and efficiently during crises, including natural disasters.
The agreement, signed by Teodoro and New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins, was a result of discussions dating back to the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue, while the formal negotiations and drafts were exchanged from the latter part of 2024 to early 2025.
The SOVFA will undergo a Presidential ratification and Senate concurrence prior to its implementation.
Once ratified, the DND expects that New Zealand will be more active in participating in bilateral and multilateral activities of the Squad, an informal security grouping among the Philippines, United States, Japan, and Australia.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr. previously expressed intention to also include India and South Korea in the group to strengthen deterrence against shared regional threats like China.
Meanwhile, Krushka reaffirmed New Zealand’s support for the Philippines and expressed interest in identifying areas where the NZDF could best assist with the country’s security priorities, including logistics support, training and capacity building between the two nations’ armed forces, and the provision of educational opportunities.
Teodoro and Krushka committed to deepen their defense relations and advance future initiatives through the re-convening of bilateral defense mechanisms, such as the Bilateral Defense Talks and the Mutual Assistance Programme (MAP) Talks between the AFP and the NZDF.

Related Tags

DND New Zealand SOVFA New Zealand Defence Force AFP Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Major General Robert Krushka
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.