Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines is reshaping its security strategy, shifting from internal threats to external challenges and deepening its alliance with the United States. This transformation comes as tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea intensify, regional geopolitics shift, and uncertainty surrounds U.S. policy under the Trump administration.

In this online event, Lindsey Ford, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia at the U.S. Department of Defence, Radm. Rommel Jude Ong (Ret.), former Vice Commander of the Philippine Navy, and Georgi Engelbrecht, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst, examined the Philippines’ military modernisation, looking at how Manila is upgrading its armed forces and using the U.S.-Philippines alliance along with other key defense partnerships to strengthen its defence posture. They also explored how diplomatic tools can be used to complement deterrence efforts.

The event drew upon Crisis Group’s latest report, “Riding Unruly Waves: The Philippines’ Military Modernisation Effort” and is part of our special Asia’s Military Modernisation series.