LAPU-LAPU CITY — The Philippines and Australia are preparing to replace the defense framework that has governed their military ties since 1995, and their defense chiefs used a meeting in Cebu this week to move it forward.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles met on Wednesday, Oct. 28, on the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and 13th ADMM-Plus, the Department of National Defense (DND) said in a statement released Thursday, Oct. 29.
The talks focused on the regional security situation amid China's "expansionist ambitions and coercive actions," DND said in the statement.
Timeline: the road to the new pact
- 1995: Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, the framework now being replaced
- 2025: Statement of Intent on Enhanced Defense Cooperation, committing both countries to update it
- Aug. 7, 2026: 3rd Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers' Meeting in Darwin announces progress toward a Defense Cooperation Arrangement (DCA)
- Oct. 28, 2026: Teodoro and Marles meet on the ADMM sidelines in Lapu-Lapu City
- November 2026: DCA expected to be signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the ASEAN Summit
What was on the table
Teodoro and Marles discussed expanding cooperation in maritime domain awareness, training and exercises, intelligence sharing, and defense infrastructure development, according to the DND.
On training, they discussed possibly including other Status of Visiting Forces Agreement partners in bilateral activities. They also discussed developing Exercise ALON, the large-scale Philippines-Australia military exercise, so that it grows in scale and complexity with each iteration.
What to watch
According to the DND, the DCA will set the contemporary framework for bilateral defense relations. A joint statement from the Darwin meeting said it will supersede and modernize the 1995 memorandum, an arrangement now more than three decades old. Opening bilateral training to other Status of Visiting Forces Agreement partners, if it goes ahead, would widen what have so far been two-country activities. The DND statement did not give a date or venue for the next Exercise ALON.
The Cebu meetings
The Philippines is hosting the 20th ADMM and 13th ADMM-Plus on Oct. 28 and 29 as part of its 2026 ASEAN chairship, with Teodoro chairing the meetings of the 11 ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners, including Australia. Teodoro also held separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Malaysia and Singapore earlier in the week.
The DND said the meeting demonstrates the commitment of both countries to regional stability and security, and to upholding international law and the rules-based international order.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Department of National Defense