US, Philippines agree to complete road map for security assistance for next 5-10 years --- By Idrees Ali and David Brunnstrom via Reuters

WASHINGTON— The top defense and diplomatic officials from the United States and Philippines agreed on Tuesday to complete a road map in coming months to cover the delivery of U.S. defense assistance to the Philippines over the next five to 10 years. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the long-time allies, which share concerns about an increasingly assertive China, discussed delivery of “priority defense platforms” including radars, drones, military transport aircraft and coastal and air defense systems at a so-called 2+2 meeting in Washington that also involved U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine counterparts. A joint statement said “adoption of a Security Sector Assistance Roadmap in the coming months will guide shared defense modernization investments and inform the delivery of priority platforms over the next 5 to 10 years.”

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