Manila, Philippines – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is supporting secure, robust, and resilient supply chains by advancing the expansion of a key ship repair facility at Subic Bay in the Philippines. USTDA’s assistance to Subic Drydock Corporation (SDC) will fund a feasibility study to support the Philippines’ capacity to serve as a regional hub for ship repair and maintenance, growing this strategically vital location along the Luzon Economic Corridor using trusted, U.S.-aligned infrastructure solutions. Subic Bay’s location along main maritime routes and deep-water harbor have long made it one of the country’s most important hubs for both trade and logistics. The agreement was signed at the USTDA-sponsored Luzon Economic Corridor Investment Forum.

“Today’s agreement reflects USTDA’s commitment to developing high-impact infrastructure along the Luzon Economic Corridor using American technologies,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s Deputy Director. “Our ongoing partnerships in the Philippines will support the country’s economic growth as part of a more resilient, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

SDC has selected California-based DM Consulting, Inc. to conduct the study, which will help develop a construction-ready design package and financial analyses to expand the facility’s approach pier, allowing SDC to accommodate larger vessels. The study will be essential for mobilizing necessary financing for procurement and construction. By ensuring early engagement of qualified U.S. firms, the activity will generate opportunities to deploy high-quality American engineering, port infrastructure, and equipment solutions, positioning U.S. companies competitively against regional alternatives.

Growing demand for ship repair services requires enhancement of existing infrastructure to overcome capacity constraints. The project is expected to bolster logistics infrastructure and maritime services across the Luzon Economic Corridor, helping position Subic Bay as a vital regional supply chain hub and supporting long-term economic opportunity for the Philippines.

SDC Owner Terry Watkins, said: “We are deeply grateful to USTDA for its support and partnership. The feasibility study will help validate the requirements for extending the Approach Pier by an additional 169 meters. This extension will allow us to accommodate larger vessels and undertake repairs that are currently not possible due to draft and berth limitations. This important project will strengthen our ability to serve select U.S. and Philippine maritime customers while enhancing Subic’s capacity as a regional ship repair hub.”

Sponsored by USTDA, the Forum brought together more than 600 investors, industry leaders, and government officials to mobilize private-sector investment and accelerate commercial partnerships in transportation, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing supply chains. It featured deal signings, project pitches, and discussions focused on improving connectivity, strengthening supply chains, and unlocking private investment across the Corridor.

Ambassador Lipton, who led the U.S. delegation, described the Forum as an example of the Trump Administration’s strong commitment to creating new opportunities for American companies and workers as well as advancing mutual prosperity for the United States, the Philippines, and the Indo-Pacific region.

“The United States is all-in on the Luzon Economic Corridor because it’s good for the Philippines and good for America,” said Ambassador Lipton. “It means more investment, stronger supply chains, and high quality jobs in both our countries.”

The Forum also demonstrated growing momentum across the Corridor, with several new investments and agreements announced, including USTDA funding to advance the expansion of a key port ship repair facility at Subic Bay and to increase trusted, reliable digital connectivity by piloting AI-enhanced U.S.-made Wi-Fi access points across the Philippines.

The governments of the United States and the Philippines signed the $60 million Philippines Energy Threshold Program through the Millennium Challenge Corporation to modernize governance of the country’s energy sector and address the high cost and unreliability of power, improve the environment for investment, and expand opportunities for American commercial engagement.

Global interest in the Luzon Economic Corridor continues to grow. The LEC partnership – which currently includes Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom – expanded at the Forum to include the European Union and Spain.

Secretary Frederick Go thanked the EU and Spain for their support and trust, noting that the growing partnership can help advance projects that deliver concrete gains for the people.

“We are working toward tangible results: better infrastructure, stronger connectivity and supply chains, more investment, more jobs, and greater opportunities for the Filipino people,” he said.

Japan, the United States, and the Philippines, guided by the vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP),” have been advancing cooperation across a wide range of areas such as infrastructure, energy, digital connectivity, and supply chain resilience.

“The Luzon Economic Corridor is a prime example of such cooperation, which holds significant potential to enhance connectivity and promote further economic development in the Philippines,” said Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ono Sho. “Japan looks forward to this Investment Forum serving as a platform to connecting public- and private-sector stakeholders, creating new investment and business opportunities, and contributing to enhanced connectivity across Luzon.”

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About the Luzon Economic Corridor

The Luzon Economic Corridor initiative is a partnership that accelerates coordinated investment to create jobs and advance a more connected, competitive, and prosperous Philippines.  Led by the Philippines, United States, and Japan, with a growing group of partner nations, the initiative focuses investment in transportation and logistics, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing along the economic corridor stretching from Subic Bay and Clark through Manila to Batangas – a region representing 50 percent of the Philippines’ GDP.  Together, these investments create new opportunities for businesses and workers, strengthen economic security and supply chains, and help make the Philippines an even more competitive destination for global investment.

Pagadian—Twenty-four Filipino law enforcement personnel are now better equipped to investigate explosions after completing a specialized program designed to sharpen their investigative methods and tactics. Facilitated by the U.S. Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program, the inaugural Post-Blast Investigation (PBI) course helps ensure that perpetrators are caught and brought to justice, strengthening the security of both the Philippines and the United States.
During the two-week course, U.S. law enforcement personnel trained their counterparts from various Philippine National Police units from across the country by sharing American best practices in investigating bomb scenes, identifying materials, and preserving and analyzing crime scene evidence. The police personnel also underwent field exercises that prepared them for real-world situations.
“The partnership between the United States and the Philippines is a counterterrorism success story, and this graduating class reflects the continued commitment of both our nations to address current and future security challenges,” said Jonathan Loden, Senior Regional Security Officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines.
“The knowledge and skills we gained here are not simply lessons that we leave behind when we return home. They are responsibilities that we must carry with us and apply properly whenever our duties require them,” said Maj. Christopher dela Cruz, one of the 24 policemen who took the two-week course.
The PBI course is one of several courses facilitated by the United States under the U.S. Department of State’s ATA program. Since 2006, more than 10,000 Filipino law enforcement personnel have taken various ATA courses that helped improve their capabilities to investigate, respond to, and mitigate terrorist threats and incidents.
From October 2026 to September 2027, the ATA program will conduct 120 courses and train 2,000 Philippine police officers in post-blast and cyber investigations, crisis response, and counterterrorism-related skills.

The Olongapo City Tourism Department, led by City Tourism Officer Fifi Tobias Gavino-Legaspi, joined the U.S. Culinary Envoy’s visit to the Bankeró Fisherman Association at Driftwood Beach Resort in Barretto, Olongapo City.
The activity was also attended by City Agriculturist Francis Ela Maniago, together with members and representatives of the association.
Organized through the U.S. Embassy Manila’s Fish Right Program, the visit highlighted the association’s community-based post-harvest initiatives and provided an avenue for knowledge exchange on fish processing, product development, and livelihood opportunities.
The program featured demonstrations of traditional fish-processing methods, including the smoking and bottling of galunggong and bangus, as well as an interactive exchange between the U.S. Culinary Envoy, Sous Chef, and local fisherfolk.
The activity concluded with a Filipino boodle fight, celebrating the country’s culture of sharing food while fostering friendship, camaraderie, and community connections.
The Olongapo City Tourism Department continues to support initiatives that promote community-based tourism, local livelihoods, Filipino culinary heritage, and meaningful international partnerships. (Tourism Gapo)

Subic Bay, Zambales—On June 22, the U.S. government transferred four Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUSVs) to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The delivery of these systems, valued at approximately Php754 million ($13 million), demonstrates the United States’ commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Alliance and to a free and open Indo-Pacific by enhancing the Philippines’ ability to detect and respond to maritime challenges and illegal maritime activities.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Bridgette Walker, U.S. Embassy Senior Defense Official and Chief of the Joint US. Military Assistance Group-Philippines Colonel Daniel Oh, Philippine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Joe Anthony Cabahug-Orbe, and Philippine Navy Unmanned Surface Vessel Unit Acting Commander Lt. Cmdr. Aldwin Pasicolan led the turnover ceremony at the Philippine Navy’s Naval Operating Base Subic.
The Triton AUSVs are capable of collecting data above and below the ocean’s surface through a resilient mesh network. The Tritons are solar-powered, allowing each unit to operate for up to 30 days for improved decision-making at the tactical and operational levels.
“The four Ocean Aero Triton AUSVs we are transferring today represent something important: the future of maritime security is not just about platforms¬—it is about capability, speed, and reach,” Chargé d’Affaires Walker said in her remarks. “The Indo-Pacific’s maritime domain is vast, contested, and critical, and the Philippines sits at the heart of it. The ability to monitor and respond to maritime challenges—illegal fishing, gray zone activities, and threats to freedom of navigation—requires persistent, long-endurance awareness that no single ship or aircraft can provide alone. The Triton fills that gap by expanding the capabilities of the Philippine Navy into critical waterways,” she added.
The delivery demonstrates how aligned investments, training, and shared standards translate into credible, ready capabilities that deter aggression and support regional stability. “Today’s delivery highlights our enduring commitment to stand with the Philippines and invest in Alliance modernization in a manner that supports the bilateral Philippines-U.S. Security Sector Assistance Roadmap objectives,” said Colonel Oh. “These unmanned capabilities support the AFP’s transition to territorial defense and improve awareness in critical waterways. The next step is to assist the Philippines integrate these new capabilities in their employment and sustainment concepts.”
The United States and the Philippines stand shoulder to shoulder as ironclad Allies, bound by shared history, common values, and an unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Stronger together at sea!

U.S. Department of War, U.S. Coast Guard, and Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted a Maritime Cooperative Activity in the Exclusive Economic Zone to reaffirm our shared commitment to a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

Reinforcing strong security and economic ties in Subic.

Chargé d’Affaires a.i. (CDA) Bridgette Walker met with U.S. equity firm Cerberus at Agila Shipyard in the Luzon Economic Corridor, where U.S. public-private investments are improving infrastructure, creating jobs, and strengthening bilateral ties.

CDA Walker then went to U.S.-owned Subic Drydock Corporation, where critical ship maintenance and repair work supports the U.S. and Philippine navies.

As part of her trip, CDA Walker met with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chair Eduardo Aliño and discussed Subic Bay’s key role in supporting the #LuzonEconomicCorridor and bolstering economic ties as #PartnersInProsperity. #FriendsPartnersAllies

Manila,—From June 3 to 7, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, through its Regional English Language Office, hosted the ASEAN English Leadership Forum in Makati City to advance policies on English Medium Instruction (EMI)—or using the English language to teach academic subjects—and leverage American artificial intelligence (AI) to improve K-12 and higher education systems in the region.
Designed by the Regional English Language Offices at the U.S. Embassies in Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Hanoi, the ASEAN English Leadership Forum convened 34 academic and government officials who shape curriculum and language policy in schools and higher education institutions in all 11 ASEAN member states. With the guidance of Dr. Martha Bigelow, Professor of Second Language Education at the University of Minnesota, each participating delegation formulated an institutional strategic plan on advancing EMI that will be presented to their home university, school system, or education ministry.
“As ASEAN Chair, the Philippines is shaping regional cooperation. The ASEAN English Leadership Forum showed what the U.S.-Philippines partnership produces when we work toward a shared goal,” Jeff McIlvenna said. “Every participant built their own plan, grounded in their own institution, and left with something they can act on. hat is American engagement producing real results,” he added.
Participants visited the Philippine Normal University and the University of Makati to examine how these institutions prepare students to work in an English-speaking professional environment—a challenge faced by education leaders across the region. By reviewing curriculum standards developed through U.S. collaboration programs, leaders explored practical ways to integrate professional language into technical degree programs in ASEAN.
AI was a central theme throughout the forum. Microsoft Philippines led a session showcasing the way American technology is setting the standard for measuring and delivering educational outcomes in schools across Southeast Asia. Participants learned to apply AI tools from the United States for improved teaching and learning, such as the use of Microsoft Teams as an AI-powered language tutor that provides students with customized feedback and real-time interaction.
McIlvenna followed with a workshop on how universities can integrate AI as a genuine learning tool while ensuring assessments are able to measure real student ability. Participants explored oral defenses and project-based evaluation as methods that keep human learning at the center of their programs.
A notable outcome of the Forum was the development of the Institutional Leadership Playbook—a practical, step-by-step strategy document that provides academic leaders with a blueprint for updating degree programs, setting teaching standards for technical staff, and securing approval from senior leadership.
“Under our national curriculum framework, achieving a high level of English proficiency is our immediate, vital benchmark for educators. While EMI is not yet active in our teacher education institutions, the Institutional Leadership Playbook developed through this Forum allows us to look toward the future. It provides a realistic framework to lay the groundwork today, ensuring that as we chart a long-term horizon toward EMI, we are steadily cultivating the faculty capacity and institutional standards necessary for enduring success,” said Dr. Vichheka Khuon, a forum participant from Cambodia.
The Regional English Language Office (RELO) in Manila advances U.S. interests in the Philippines and the region by promoting English language teaching and learning programs that strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and the Philippines. Through teacher training, curriculum development, and educational resources, RELO empowers educators and institutions to enhance English language instruction, creating opportunities for Filipinos to engage with American culture, values, and innovation.

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines hosted the closing ceremony of Exercise Balikatan 2026, May 8, marking the successful completion of the largest annual military exercise between the Philippines and the United States.
The ceremony was a celebration of a successful exercise and a reminder of the shared values that underpin it. This 41st iteration of the exercise proved to be the most expansive Balikatan to date. Five ally and partner nations joined the Philippines and United States – Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand – bolstering the shared knowledge, capabilities, and momentum of the exercise from start to finish.
“Balikatan 2026 marked a strategic evolution from a bilateral exercise to a full-scale, multinational mission rehearsal for the defense of the Philippines,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. “That growth reflects the security environment. It reflects the sovereign choices of free nations.”
The 19-day exercise highlighted the combat credibility, crisis readiness, and spirit of cooperation forged over decades of U.S.-Philippines bilateral training and reinforced by a growing coalition of like-minded partners and allies.
Combat credibility starts with detailed planning and strategic logistics. Long before the opening ceremony, service members dedicated months to the tactical plans, life support considerations, and safety precautions, paving the way for operations to begin. In March, AFP and U.S. forces, alongside civilian entities, conducted a Maritime Prepositioning Force offload to prepare equipment and sustainment for the exercise, strategically moving items from Mindanao through Subic Bay and onto training areas.
With combat power in position, the combined and joint force conducted complex all-domain live-fire events, enhancing air and missile defense, counter-landing, and maritime security and strike capabilities. These events integrated advanced capabilities into realistic scenarios across the archipelago, demonstrating how combat power becomes credible when applied by a capable, multinational force.
Combat credibility was also on display at sea – the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada conducted a Multilateral Maritime Event off the western coast of Luzon, featuring training inlive-fire gunnery, anti-submarine warfare, and replenishment at sea as well as deck landing qualifications.
“Balikatan was never simply about conducting activities,” said Philippine Army Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It was about strengthening the ability to respond together in real, complex conditions. And that matters because in today’s security environment, readiness cannot be improvised.”
Crisis readiness was built as partner forces conducted advanced aeromedical, combat search-and-rescue, and mass casualty training. And readiness was called upon the first day of the exercise when AFP and U.S. forcesresponded to a vehicular accident, extracting multiple injured civilians from a ravine while aviation units coordinated rapid helicopter medical evacuations. Their coordinated response highlights that this year’s events are a product of decades of military cooperation.
Throughout the exercise, the spirit of cooperation extended directly into local communities. At five sites across the archipelago – from Mindanao to Palawan to Northern Luzon – service members worked alongside local leaders, barangay rural healthworkersand community partners to support medical and dental exams, health education, classroom technology, infrastructureprojectsand community engagements tailored to local priorities; lasting impacts of health engagements and engineering projects will provide value to the lives of more than 60,000 Filipinos.
The exercise’s success in enhancing combat credibility, crisis readiness, and the spirit of cooperation represents a shared commitment to regional peace and stability that is the foundation of the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, stronger than ever 75 years after signing.
“These anniversaries remind us that our alliance is not merely a matter of treaty obligations. It is a living partnership, designed and strengthened across generations, and grounded in shared values, mutual respect, and common purpose,” said Y. Robert Ewing, chargé d’affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. “Exercise Balikatan serves as a powerful testament to our alliance in action. It demonstrates our collective commitment to prepare together, alongside other like-minded nations, to deter common threats and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.”