US and Philippines sign a pact to secure shared military intelligence and weapons technology

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States and the Philippines signed an agreement on Monday to secure the exchange of highly confidential military intelligence and technology in key weapons the U.S. would provide to Manila.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, signed the legally binding General Security of Military Information Agreement in Manila at a time when the longtime treaty allies have boosted their defense and military engagements, including large-scale joint combat drills, largely in response to China’s increasingly aggressive actions in Asia.

The outgoing Biden administration has taken steps to strengthen an arc of military alliances across the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan or in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing has claimed almost in its entirety.

That has dovetailed with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s thrust to strengthen his country’s external defenses given an alarming escalation of territorial confrontations between Chinese and Filipinos forces in the South China Sea.

The Department of National Defense in Manila said the agreement aims to ensure the security of classified military information that would be exchanged between the U.S. and the Philippines.

It will “allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States,” the Philippine defense department said.

Neither side provided more details or released a copy of the agreement.

Two Philippine security officials, however, have told The Associated Press that such an agreement, similar to ones Washington has signed with other allied countries, would allow the U.S. to provide the Philippines with higher-level intelligence and more sophisticated weapons, including missile systems.

It would also provide the Philippine military access to U.S. satellite and drone surveillance systems with an assurance that such intelligence and details about sophisticated weapons would be kept highly secure to prevent possible leaks, the two Philippine officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly.

Philippine efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons from the U.S. military in the past have been hampered by a lack of such an intelligence deal, including when Filipino forces were scrambling to fight a 2017 siege by Filipino and foreign militants aligned with the Islamic State group in southern Marawi city. Philippine forces, backed by U.S. and Australian spy planes, quelled the uprising after five months.

Austin and Teodoro also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a center where the U.S. and Philippine militaries would coordinate future joint operations, including the exchange of information. Austin said the center “will be a place where our forces can work side-by-side to respond to regional challenges."

Austin renewed the U.S. commitment to the Philippines as an ally and told Teodoro that “we are more than allies. We are family."

The coordinating center, Teodoro said, would provide “a unified picture of the shared areas of responsibility and common approaches to threats against both our securities."

"I’m sure it will benefit future generations of both our peoples to come because although we may change people, the values don’t change,” Teodoro said.

The Philippine defense chief reiterated the crucial need for the U.S. security presence in the region, citing Marcos’s repeated statements that such a presence “is essential for maintaining peace and stability in this region."

Associated Press journalist Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, second right, and his delegation at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his delegation at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pose for a photograph during a courtesy call at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pose for a photograph during a courtesy call at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, shakes hands with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a courtesy call at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon, Pool)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Monday told investigators they have one month to complete their work on ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her close aides, who face charges of crimes against humanity after hundreds of people were killed in a mass uprising this summer.

Golam Mortuza Majumdar, the head judge of the three-member International Crimes Tribunal, set Dec. 17 for investigators to finish their work, as the tribunal heard updates Monday from police about what the country's security agencies have done to arrest Hasina and her close aides.

The decision came after prosecutors sought more time for the investigation.

Mohammed Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the tribunal, told the judges during Monday's hearing that they were working in line with an extradition treaty signed earlier with India to make Hasina's return possible.

Hasina has been living in exile in India since Aug. 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests. The Dhaka-based tribunal on Oct. 17 issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 45 others, including former Cabinet ministers, advisers and military and civil officials. The country is now being run by an interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.

At least 13 people, including a former law minister and a businessman who was Hasina’s private-sector adviser, appeared before the tribunal on Monday, said B.M. Sultan Mahmud, a prosecutor at the tribunal. One former Cabinet minister was not brought to the tribunal as he was in custody for police interrogation in a separate case. A further six people will appear on Wednesday, tribunal officials said. At least 20 suspects have been arrested in the case.

The tribunal will also seek updates from police on their progress in arresting the other suspects, including Hasina.

After the hearing on Monday, the tribunal’s head judge ordered authorities to send all 13 suspects to jail, pending investigation.

The chief prosecutor of the tribunal has already sought help from Interpol through the country’s police chief to arrest Hasina. On Sunday, Yunus said in an address to the nation that his administration would seek Hasina's extradition from India.

Authorities say hundreds of people were killed during the uprising in July and August, mainly by security agents seeking to quell the initial protests over government jobs. The violence intensified as the protests morphed into an anti-government movement, with more bloodshed, ending Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hasina had also earlier sought an investigation into the killings.

FILE- Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina checks her watch as she waits for the official opening time to cast her vote in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)