MANILA – The Philippines and the United States are set to hold their annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting next week.
In an advisory on Thursday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the meeting would be held at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City on Aug. 29.
The MDB-SEB is a venue for the AFP and the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to "discuss and come up with a mutually agreed policy direction" on defense and security concerns.
AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and INDOPACOM head Admiral Samuel Paparo are expected to attend the meeting.
Also in the agenda of the MDB-SEB meeting is the range of military activities between Manila and Washington D.C. next year.
This includes the annual "Balikatan" and "Salaknib" exercises to name a few of the well known military drills between Filipino and American troops.
Some 16,000 American and Filipino troops took part in this year's "Balikatan" that took place from April 22 to May 10 in various locations in the country.
Crucial event
Meanwhile, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla on Thursday said the MDB-SEB serves as a crucial venue to discuss and establish mutually agreed-upon policy directions on defense and security issues.
"It also facilitates the approval of the Activity Lists for Calendar Year 2025," she added.
Padilla also said regular convening of the MDB-SEB underscores the long-standing relationship between the Philippine and US militaries, concluding a year of bilateral planning and training between the allied forces.
"The MDB-SEB further strengthens the cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, reaffirming both nations' shared commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the joint pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific Region against the backdrop of a rules-based international order," she added. (PNA)
