Lorenzana meets with US DOD chief Austin over defense goals

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday visited the United States of America to meet with US senior officials on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

In a press statement on Saturday, the Department of National Defense (DND) also said that Lorenzana met with his counterpart US Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin III.

Lorenzana's meeting with Austin came after the two met on July 30, 2021 in Manila for a bilateral discussion.

In last Friday's meeting in Washington DC, Lorenzana and Austin reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance the defense relations between the two countries, the press statement indicated.

DND's statement quoted Lorenzana as saying that "both parties now have a better appreciation of each countries’ defense and security priorities, and have come to an understanding of shared goals for the alliance and the region."

It added that the two secretaries also exchanged views on regional issues and concerns, and agreed on common positions and approaches.

For his part, Secretary Austin expressed his appreciation for the Philippine decision to restore the Agreement Regarding the Treatment of US Armed Forces Visiting the Philippines (VFA), which signals a commitment by both sides to strengthen the longstanding alliance, the statement said.  

SCS flashpoint

Aside from boosting security ties of both countries, Lorenzana and Austin also discussed developments in the South China Sea (SCS), with the latter reaffirming US’ commitments to the Philippines under the MDT. 

Moreover the two leaders agreed to convene the Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) to further discuss shared priorities for the alliance, and encouraged their respective armed forces to sustain cooperation under the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB).

Both sides agreed to work on a bilateral maritime framework that advances cooperation in the maritime domain, and to resume projects in approved Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) locations in the Philippines. —LBG, GMA News