PH sees no impact on defense ties from US Middle East redeployment

The Philippines does not expect a reduction in military activities with its treaty ally the United States amid redeployment of some U.S. defence assets to the Middle East, an official said on Monday.

The movement of assets including the USS George Washington aircraft carrier from the Pacific to the Middle East had raised some questions about U.S. defence arrangements in the Indo-Pacific, but no doubts about its commitment, said Roy Vincent Trinidad, a military spokesperson.

"We do not foresee any dip or any slowing down in our activities," he told a press briefing.

"The defence commitment between the U.S. and the Philippines is ironclad," Trinidad said.

The remarks came as President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul's refusal to take part in actions against Iran.

The Philippines is one of the closest defence allies of the U.S. in Asia. The two countries have a decades-old mutual defence treaty and agreements on visiting forces and Washington's use of various defence sites and bases across the archipelago.

The Philippines hosts dozens of events and war games with U.S. forces each year involving thousands of troops, with some of their largest joint exercises in recent years and a new slate of activities approved for the coming year, including large-scale drills and expert exchanges.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby during a visit to Manila last week reiterated Washington's commitment to the region, saying the United States was not disengaging from Asia and was focused on maintaining a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

-Reporting by Nestor Corrales; Editing by Martin Petty/Reuters