The US State Department’s approval of a $5.58 billion military sale to the Philippines, featuring 20 cutting-edge F-16 fighter jets and a wide array of advanced weaponry and support systems, came amid reports of the deployment of yet another Typhon missile system to the country. After the recent social unrest caused by the ICC arrest of the former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Marcos Jr. administration welcomed US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose main goal was to strengthen the military alliance between the two countries.
Anna Malindog-Uy notes that the new arms race in the region will drive China to an increasingly defensive posture and will further destabilize the Indo-Pacific region. The tensions in the South China Sea and those surrounding Taiwan are escalating as the multi-billion-dollar sales of weapons to the Philippines indicate it is being groomed as a new U.S. proxy in Asia.
Dr. Anna Malindog-Uy is the Vice President at the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute. Follow Anna on X and read her latest articles on her site.
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