AFP modernization in full swing

BABE'S EYE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

- AMBASSADOR B. ROMUALDEZ

The recent approval of the US State Department for the sale of 20 F-16s to the Philippines aligns with the Trump administration's mantra of "deterrence through strength" — the same message that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighted during his visit to Manila.

Reiterating that the relationship between the Philippines and the US is "ironclad" — a term that was first used during the first term of President Trump, the US Cabinet official underscored that the US will deliver and prioritize its shift to the Indo-Pacific region "in a way that is unprecedented to match the threats of the future, with the recognition that for the 21st century to be a free century, America needs to stand alongside its allies and partners shoulder to shoulder," and that together they will "establish the deterrence necessary to prevent war."

As Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro noted, the enduring support of the United States — as seen when the Philippines was exempted from a global foreign aid freeze and the green light given for $336 million in military aid — shows the importance the US puts on the stability of US-Philippine relations as "a linchpin of securing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific."

We're hopeful that we could secure a long-term loan from the US for the purchase of the brand-new aircraft and other defense items, which could be delivered in tranches, similar to the acquisition of the 10 Blackhawk helicopters last year. Hopefully, the terms for a military financing package could soon be discussed by officials of the Department of National Defense and their American counterparts.