(Manila, 2nd) The Philippine Department of National Defense and the United States Hawaii National Guard on Tuesday reaffirmed the two countries’ long-standing and stable defense cooperation relationship.
The Department of National Defense issued a statement on Wednesday, noting that Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Major General Stephen Logan, commander of the Hawaii National Guard, reiterated at their meeting that the long-term partnership between the Philippines and the U.S. promoted through the State Partnership Program remains solid.
The statement said: "Undersecretary Lorenzo expressed his gratitude for the 25-year cooperation between the Hawaii National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, emphasizing that this collaboration has played a key role in strengthening interoperability between the two militaries, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and security operations."
As the Undersecretary in charge of Civil Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, and Reserve Affairs, Lorenzo introduced the Department’s ongoing efforts on integrating and professionalizing the Philippine reserve force to better meet the nation’s evolving security needs.
Major General Logan stated that the Hawaii National Guard will fully support the Philippine Department of National Defense’s related work and shared their extensive experience in mobilizing reserve forces for military emergencies and disaster response.
The Department of National Defense added: "Given that both locations have archipelagic geographic environments, both parties expressed an intention to further strengthen cooperation in disaster preparedness and response, leveraging each other's resources and expertise to jointly build more resilient communities."
This meeting was held at Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Department of National Defense in Quezon City. At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides pledged to expand areas of future cooperation and explore new opportunities for collaboration in the professionalization of reserve forces.
The Department of National Defense issued a statement on Wednesday, noting that Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Major General Stephen Logan, commander of the Hawaii National Guard, reiterated at their meeting that the long-term partnership between the Philippines and the U.S. promoted through the State Partnership Program remains solid.
The statement said: "Undersecretary Lorenzo expressed his gratitude for the 25-year cooperation between the Hawaii National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, emphasizing that this collaboration has played a key role in strengthening interoperability between the two militaries, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and security operations."
As the Undersecretary in charge of Civil Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, and Reserve Affairs, Lorenzo introduced the Department’s ongoing efforts on integrating and professionalizing the Philippine reserve force to better meet the nation’s evolving security needs.
Major General Logan stated that the Hawaii National Guard will fully support the Philippine Department of National Defense’s related work and shared their extensive experience in mobilizing reserve forces for military emergencies and disaster response.
The Department of National Defense added: "Given that both locations have archipelagic geographic environments, both parties expressed an intention to further strengthen cooperation in disaster preparedness and response, leveraging each other's resources and expertise to jointly build more resilient communities."
This meeting was held at Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Department of National Defense in Quezon City. At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides pledged to expand areas of future cooperation and explore new opportunities for collaboration in the professionalization of reserve forces.