The United States and the Philippines announced on Thursday the expansion of their Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), under which the Philippines will allow the US access to four more sites in strategic areas of the country. The two sides also agreed on the "substantial completion" of ongoing projects in the five existing sites worth over $82 million.
"The EDCA supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between our forces. Expanding the EDCA will strengthen our alliance and accelerate the modernization of our combined military capabilities," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (pictured) said. "The addition of these new EDCA locations will allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges."
