US Defense Secretary, US Ambassador visit Subic Bay following dialogue with Ph counterparts

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Board of Directors and agency officials welcome US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, during their brief visit to Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday (July 31, 2024) as part of their official itinerary. 

This, after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, alongside the US Defense Secretary, met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in Manila the day before the Subic visit. 

The US officials held the 4th 2+2 ministerial dialogue with their Filipino counterparts, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. 

Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, and President Marcos discussed the momentum in United States-Philippines relations over the past year and reaffirmed the critical role of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance in realizing our shared vision of a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region. 

While in Subic Freeport, Secretary Austin visited the headquarters of the Philippine Navy at the Agila Subic compound (Agila North). 

On his social media site X, Secretary Austin wrote: “It was great to visit Subic Bay, including the headquarters of the Philippine Navy, at a time when we’re doing more than ever to deepen our defense industrial cooperation and support the Philippine military’s modernization.” 

Later, Austin wrote another post: “The United States, the Philippines, and our partners are hard at strengthening our defense industrial bases like never before. It was great to see those results and opportunities firsthand at Subic Bay.” 

The United States government plans to invest in high-quality, high-impact infrastructure via the Luzon Economic Corridor that includes key economic hubs such as Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas (SNL).