PH, US form military task force for areas including South China Sea

The Philippines and the United States have formed a new joint task force to strengthen cooperation and increase military readiness in areas including the South China Sea, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The announcement followed a meeting between Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro at a gathering of ASEAN defence ministers in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

Task Force-Philippines "will increase operational cooperation, improve combined planning, and enhance interoperability, particularly in the South China Sea," according to a statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

SND Teodoro and I met today for the fourth time this year to advance our strong defense partnership.

We will work relentlessly to reestablish deterrence in the South China Sea and advance our alliance. pic.twitter.com/2xbiIp95ox

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 31, 2025

In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Friday, Hegseth said he raised concern about China's actions towards Washington's regional allies and partners, in apparent references to repeated clashes with the Philippines in the South China Sea and tension with Australia over surveillance flights.

Hegseth also said the U.S. was concerned about China's activities in the disputed South China Sea and around Taiwan.

The U.S. and Philippines defense secretaries "shared their determination to re-establish deterrence in the region" in their fourth meeting, the Pentagon said. The U.S. and Philippines have a mutual defense treaty.

They also announced the completion of a plan to modernize the defense partnership and speed up progress on major priorities over the next two years, the statement said.

During the meeting, Teodoro reaffirmed the Philippines’ support for security and prosperity in Southeast Asia.

“We reiterate our fullest support to the leadership of our distinguished chair, Malaysia, and the theme of this year's ADMM, which is 'ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity',” said Teodoro. 

Meanwhile, Malaysian Minister of Defence Dato Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin pointed out that the region’s strength rests on shared values and commitment to peace. 

“We formed ASEAN, not as an alliance of power, but as a partnership for peace,” Minister Khaled said. “ASEAN’s strength lies in its values: respect for sovereignty and independence, non-interference in one’s affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, the renunciation of force, and effective cooperation,” he said. 

He added that solidarity plays an important role in times of challenges in the ASEAN region. —Reuters/GMA Integrated News