Senior US War officials see PH as ‘model ally’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh (not in this photo) during a courtesy call held at Malacañan Palace on August 10, 2026. (Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed senior United States defense officials to Malacañang as Manila and Washington continued efforts to strengthen their longstanding defense partnership and promote a more credible regional deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr. Marcos received US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh during a courtesy call at the Palace as part of the President’s diplomatic engagements with key Indo-Pacific partners.

At a forum organized by the Stratbase Group, Colby, on his first visit to Manila as US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, described the Philippines as a “model ally” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

He said the United States was seeking to build stronger and more sustainable alliances through its approach of achieving “genuine peace through strength.”

“We seek partnerships, not dependencies, and we understand that countries will engage widely, just as we do,” Colby said.

“We are putting our alliances on a sustainable, realistic, and durable footing for the long haul. When we ask our allies and partners to step up, invest more in their own defense, and take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment,” he added.

Colby stressed that Washington wants stronger partners rather than countries dependent on US protection.

“We are looking for partners, not protectorates. When our partners are strong, deterrence is strong. And that is exactly what we have here in Manila under the leadership of President Marcos, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and other key leaders,” he said.

The US official’s remarks came as the Philippines accelerated its military modernization and strengthened defense cooperation with treaty ally Washington and other security partners amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

The Philippines and the United States are bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, under which both sides commit to act to meet common dangers in the event of an armed attack on their armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific.

“We are backing up those investments with concrete, visible support, including the rotational deployment of four Fast Response Cutters to actively partner with the Philippine Coast Guard in patrolling and securing its Exclusive Economic Zone,” Colby said.

The two countries have also expanded operational defense cooperation through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which provides for an increased rotational presence and access for US forces to agreed Philippine military facilities, as well as through the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement.

The alliance has taken on added significance amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea, where the Philippines has continued to assert its maritime rights under international law and the 2016 arbitral award while reporting increasingly assertive actions by China.

Colby’s Manila visit is part of a four-nation tour that also includes Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia, aimed at reinforcing US engagement and its commitment to durable peace in the Indo-Pacific.

— Charles Dantes & Rex Espiritu