Overview
- Announced on the sidelines of ASEAN defense meetings in Kuala Lumpur, the new Task Force Philippines will be led by a brigadier general or rear admiral and comprise about 60 personnel.
- The initiative is intended to tighten operational cooperation, improve combined planning and enhance interoperability to restore deterrence, with both sides stressing treaty obligations across the South China Sea.
- U.S. officials said the unit will not conduct offensive operations or bring new combat forces, unilateral deployments or permanent U.S. basing to the Philippines.
- Key operational details, including where the task force will be based and when it will begin operating, have not been disclosed.
- In parallel, Manila says it has tripled patrol coverage in its West Philippine Sea EEZ through National Maritime Council–coordinated missions, following heightened Chinese activity near Scarborough Shoal and recent multinational drills with U.S., Australian and New Zealand forces.