(L-R) Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles strike a pose during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June 2024. (Photo: Australian Government Defence)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is set to hold a high-level defense dialogue with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles on Friday, Aug. 22.
In a statement Wednesday, Aug. 20, Marles said his meeting with Teodoro for the 2nd Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting aims to further enhance Manila and Canberra’s defense and security cooperation, as well as mutual trust.
“I look forward to meeting Secretary Teodoro in Manila to discuss ways to deepen Australia-Philippines defence cooperation by building capacity and strengthening interoperability,” he said.
A separate advisory from the DND confirmed the meeting of the two officials.
Teodoro is expected to accompany Marles when he visits Australian personnel taking part in the ongoing Exercise Amphibious and Land Operations (ALON), the biggest military exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
“Our cooperation through Exercise Alon reflects a shared commitment to working together to maintain a peaceful, secure and prosperous region where sovereignty is respected,” Marles said.
The two countries share a robust and evolving defense ties rooted in a number of key bilateral frameworks, among of which is the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) ratified in 2012. It provides the legal foundation for troop visits and joint activities in either territory.
In 2022, both nations concluded two additional frameworks to strengthen cooperation: a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and a memorandum of understanding on Defence Industry Cooperation and Logistics.
Marles described Australia and the Philippines’ defense and security relations at a “high point” during a bilateral meeting with Teodoro at the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore in June last year.
Both officials had vowed to elevate their ties to greater heights and improve deterrence amid the growing presence of China in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.