
U.S. officials on Tuesday announced plans to provide the Philippines with $500 million in Foreign Military Financing funds to help the country modernize its armed forces and coast guard. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin both described the direct loan as a “once-in-a-generation investment,” which arrives as the U.S. and the Philippines continue expanding cooperation efforts amid growing competition with China. “This is really designed to support the modernization of Filipino forces [and] coast guard as…