DefenceTalkThe United States gave the Philippine air force on Tuesday its first surveillance drone system, as the two nations step up co-operation in the battle against militants. Washington has been boosting its backing for Philippine counter-terror efforts since Daesh supporters seized parts of the southern city of Marawi last year, sparking a deadly five-month battle. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-gives-philippines-air-force-first-drone-system-71572/

DefenceTalkThe United States on Monday (Jun 5) gave the Philippines hundreds of machine guns, pistols and grenade launchers, which a local commander said would be used against militants battling troops in a southern city. The weapons, including machine guns capable of firing thousands of rounds a minute, were handed over at a ceremony in Manila […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-gives-philippines-anti-terror-weapons-70116/

DefenceTalkThe Philippines has submitted to China the list of defense equipment it hopes Beijing can supply through a $14-million grant, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday, February 7, reported Rappler on February 7. Delfin Lorenzana also disclosed another additional procurement demand for $500 million worth of weapons from China, including precision-guided munitions, boats and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-submits-defense-equipment-wish-list-to-china-report-69098/

DefenceTalkChina has offered the Philippines guns and equipment worth $14 million to wage its war on drugs and combat terrorism, Manila’s defence minister said Tuesday, as ties improve under President Rodrigo Duterte. Beijing has publicly backed the controversial campaign, which has left 5,300 people dead in less than six months and drawn criticism from the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-offers-guns-worth-14-mn-for-drug-war-philippines-68704/

DefenceTalkPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiery rhetoric and deadly crime war are becoming a growing concern around the world, the top US envoy for Asia warned on Monday in Manila. US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel met the Philippines’ defence and foreign ministers on Monday, after Duterte last week […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-warns-philippines-duterte-over-rhetoric-crime-war-68481/

DefenceTalkPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he would not sever his nation’s alliance with the United States, as he clarified his announcement that he planned to “separate”. “It’s not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I can not do that. Why? It’s in the best interests of my country that I don’t […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-duterte-says-will-not-sever-us-ties-68466/

DefenceTalkPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it was “time to say goodbye” to the US during a visit to China on Wednesday, as the combative leader reconfigures his country’s diplomatic alliances. Duterte is in China for a four-day trip that is expected to confirm his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing’s sphere of influence. During […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-duterte-says-goodbye-to-us-ties-in-beijing-68446/

DefenceTalkPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he would soon visit China and hoped also to travel to Russia, as he again criticised longtime ally the United States for “arrogance”. The mission to China will be Duterte’s first outside of Southeast Asia since assuming the presidency on June 30, in a symbolic move highlighting the importance […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-duterte-to-visit-china-68351/

DefenceTalkTwo US aircraft carriers have started exercises in the Philippine Sea, defence officials said Sunday, as Washington’s close ally Manila faces growing pressure from Beijing in the South China Sea. The US Pacific Command said the USS John C. Stennis and USS Ronald Reagan, among the world’s largest warships, began conducting air defense drills, sea […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-aircraft-carriers-start-drills-off-philippines-67703/

DefenceTalkUS fighter planes have arrived in the Philippines for a training mission and operations to ensure access to the disputed South China Sea, the US Navy said Thursday. The Philippines’ longtime ally deployed the aircraft to train Filipino pilots as Manila remains locked in an increasingly tense maritime dispute with Beijing. The US Navy made […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-fighter-planes-arrive-in-philippines-for-training-mission-67685/