Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. met with his counterparts from Singapore and Australia on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday, reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to bolstering strategic defense partnerships in the region through interoperability, joint training, and enhanced logistical cooperation.

In his meeting with Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, both sides underscored the importance of strengthening defense cooperation through increased training engagements. Teodoro further highlighted the Philippines’ expansive training areas ideal for urban and airborne exercises and expressed interest in learning from Singapore’s experience operating the C-130J aircraft, especially in the areas of operations, maintenance, and cost-efficiency.

Chan welcomed the proposals and invited Philippine special forces to conduct trainings in Singapore. He also expressed interest in reciprocal opportunities for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops in the Philippines, as well as expanding collaboration in navigation flights; Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO); and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR).

Teodoro in a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles also reiterated the same spirit of deepening bilateral cooperation.

Teodoro noted the growing momentum in trilateral defense engagements involving the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. He also conveyed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to reinforce defense ties not only with Australia but also with Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

Marles praised the evolving defense relationship and stressed the need to translate longstanding people-to-people connections into a strong strategic and defense partnership. He also welcomed sustained maritime cooperation.

Teodoro offered to host the second Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting, back to back with the conduct of Exercise ALON between Philippine and Australian forces.

The bilateral engagements concluded with a shared commitment to promoting regional stability, strengthening defense cooperation, and exploring new avenues of collaboration in logistics, HADR, personnel exchanges, and capability development. Defense Communications Service