US military chief Brown arrives in PH to meet with Brawner

United States Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. arrived in Manila to meet with his counterpart in the Philippines, the US Department of Defense (DOD) said on Tuesday (Manila time). 

“Brown arrived in the Philippines today where he will participate in a series of engagements alongside Philippines armed forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and other military officials amid recent strides in the long-standing U.S.-Filipino defense relationship,” the DOD said in a news release. 

Brown is also set to visit one of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites of the Philippines and the US.

"In the Philippines, we have a long-standing, shared interest in regional stability that's backed by international law," Brown said.

"The Philippines is one of our oldest treaty allies in the region,” he added.

Brown is set to meet key officials in the Indo-Pacific this week to build upon US investments in partnerships throughout the region.

Aside from the Philippines, the DOD said Brown will also go to Japan later in the week to meet with senior government officials and military leaders for discussions on regional deterrence and security cooperation. He will also meet with US service members stationed at Yokota Air Base. 

According to DOD, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expanded its partnership with key allies in the Indo-Pacific as the alliance hosted high-level meetings with key partners in the region, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea at a summit in Washington this year. 

The DOD added that, according to Defense leaders, the US investments in deepening ties throughout the region will continue to pay dividends for years to come.

“Robust partnerships with key regional allies remain central to the United States' approach to advancing a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific amid increased competition with China — the United States' pacing challenge — and threats posed by North Korea,” the DOD said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News