The Philippine Navy celebrated its 127th anniversary in May 2025 by commissioning its first guided-missile frigate and showcasing United States-provided uncrewed surface vessels (USV). The capability demonstrations highlight advancing defense collaboration among Manila and Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commissioned the BRP Miguel Malvar, the country’s most powerful surface combatant ship and the first with vertical launch systems, at Naval Operating Base Subic. Manila received the vessel from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, which will deliver a second frigate later in 2025. Seoul previously donated a corvette warship to bolster Philippine anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, and analysts said that by 2028 the Philippine Navy will have acquired at least 12 vessels, ranging from offshore patrol boats to modern warships, from South Korean manufacturers.
During the Philippine Navy’s anniversary commemoration, troops also showcased two U.S.-made USVs, the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) reported. Washington provided five such vessels to bolster Manila’s abilities to protect its sovereignty and operate in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, officials said in late 2024. U.S. Special Forces have been training in the Philippines in 2025, including with USVs during exercise Balikatan. The cooperation increases “the interoperability and operational readiness of U.S. and Philippine forces to leverage cutting-edge military capabilities in Indo-Pacific operational environments,” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during his March visit to Manila.
Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. participated in Balikatan 2025. The exercise included training in the Luzon Strait and the South China Sea, where China’s arbitrary territorial claims and aggression continue to increase tensions. Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including parts of other nations’ EEZs, and its Coast Guard and militia vessels harass Philippine fishing, military and law enforcement crews in the waterway. China also claims Taiwan and threatens to invade the democratically governed island. Ensuing conflict could spill across the Luzon Strait, a key chokepoint between Taiwan and the Philippines.
The uncrewed U.S. Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) deployed to the Philippine’s northernmost Batanes Islands during Balikatan and again in May for exercise Kamandag. The exercise takes its name from the Tagalog phrase “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat,” meaning Cooperation of the Sea Warriors. The NMESIS presence on the strategic island chain marked the first time U.S. forces deployed anti-ship missiles to the Luzon Strait.
On the west coast of the Philippines’ Palawan province, the U.S. plans to upgrade a military base on the contested South China Sea. Manila is expected to receive between $1 million to $5 million to repair infrastructure at Naval Detachment Oyster Bay, according to USNI. The construction will support a portable crane that can move vessels up to 7 meters long, renovate a boat launch and provide multipurpose spaces. Manila regularly uses the naval base for its operations to counter China’s illegal maritime claims.
“The Oyster Bay project is the latest in a series of U.S.-funded defense infrastructure developments across the Philippine archipelago,” USNI reported. “Compared to other initiatives, which traditionally fell under the framework of the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, these projects fall outside of the nine agreed sites and are located closer to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait.”
