US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit Manila next week to meet with Philippine leaders and discuss security in the South China Sea. This visit precedes significant military exercises and includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, and Japan.
The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the US-Philippine military alliance amid escalating tensions with China in the South China Sea. It highlights unprecedented military cooperation, including the deployment of Typhon missile systems and upcoming multinational exercises involving 16,000 troops.