Secretary of National Defense (SND) Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and recently confirmed United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held their first official phone call today to discuss key security developments in the Indo-Pacific and the enhancement of the two countries’ existing bilateral and multilateral engagements.
Secretary Teodoro congratulated Secretary Hegseth on his recent appointment and expressed the Philippines’ commitment to working closely with the U.S. in advancing shared defense priorities. For his part, Secretary Hegseth conveyed his optimism about the future of Philippines-U.S. defense relations.
The two defense chiefs discussed ongoing collaborative efforts, future investments for increased deterrence and defense industry development and agreed to further extend the alliance through the inclusion of like-minded partners in defense initiatives for greater impact. Both officials also looked forward to future high-level meetings.
The call concluded with both officials reaffirming their commitment to a great era of Philippines-U.S. defense partnership and exploring other areas of cooperation to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
