On July 4, officials from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group – Philippines (JUSMAG-P) delivered Php48.5 million ($1 million) worth of new weapons and munitions to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Clark Air Base. The delivery, funded by U.S. grant assistance, included fourteen (14) M2A1 .50 caliber heavy machine guns, seven (7) M240B machine guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The delivery is intended to enhance the AFP’s counterterrorism capabilities and readiness.
The Philippines is the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance in the Indo-Pacific. Since 2015, the United States has provided more than Php48.6 billion ($1 billion) in security assistance to the Philippines. This year, the United States and the Philippines are commemorating 70 years since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, and this delivery continues the United States’ longstanding commitment to our Filipino allies.
As the United States and Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations today, we welcome this key equipment transfer, which will support the continued readiness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said JUSMAG-P Chief and Senior Defense Official to the Philippines Col. Stephen Ma.
This month, U.S. Army Pacific and the Philippine Army announce the execution of Exercise Salaknib 2021, to be held in and around Fort Magsaysay, Palayan, and Nueva Ecija, Philippines, from July 9 to 31, 2021. Approximately 60 U.S. soldiers from the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade and 600 Philippine soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team will participate in this year’s exercise. The U.S. also delivered C-130H Hercules capability worth Php1.54 billion ($32.2 million) to the Philippine Air Force through the Foreign Military Financing grant program.
