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Advocates Philippines
Trump Highlights Strategic Value Of Planned Subic Ammunition Plant For Both U.S. And Philippines
Photo credit: PCO
United States President Donald Trump has emphasized the strategic significance of a proposed ammunition manufacturing facility in Subic Bay, Zambales, saying the project will strengthen both Philippine defense capabilities and U.S. military readiness amid growing regional tensions.
Speaking at a press conference at the White House early Wednesday (Manila time), shortly after his bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Trump called the initiative “very important,” underscoring its role in the two allies’ broader security cooperation.
“It’s very important. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have approved it,” Trump said. “We need ammunition. We’re going to end up in a few months, we’ll have more ammunition than any country has ever had… missiles, the speedy ones, the slow ones, the accurate ones — we have everything.”
The Subic Bay project, which would rise inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, is part of ongoing efforts under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to modernize and deepen U.S.-Philippine defense ties. The initiative comes at a time of heightened tensions in the South China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific region.
In Washington, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has directed the Departments of Defense and State, along with the International Development Finance Corporation, to assess the feasibility of setting up such a facility in Subic Bay.
Supporting Philippine Self-Reliance
For his part, Marcos explained that the project aligns with the Philippines’ goal of strengthening its own defense industry, under what he called the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program — with U.S. support complementing that vision.
“This is actually (the U.S.) assisting the Philippines in what we call our self-reliance defense program, which is to allow us to be self-reliant and to be able to stand on our own two feet, whatever the circumstances that occur in the future,” Marcos said.
Asked about the possibility of hosting more U.S. missile systems in the Philippines, Marcos noted that the country’s modernization efforts are simply a response to evolving security challenges.
“We would certainly like any kind of military spending — we would wish that it wasn’t necessary, but it is,” he added.
A Strategic Location
The proposed ammunition plant would be built on the site of the former U.S. naval base at Subic, which has since been transformed into a thriving commercial hub. Subic has long been viewed as a key strategic location because of its proximity to the West Philippine Sea — a resource-rich area within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which overlaps with China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea.
The initiative marks another step in the deepening of U.S.-Philippine defense cooperation, with both leaders framing it as a mutually beneficial response to an increasingly complex regional security environment.
Speaking at a press conference at the White House early Wednesday (Manila time), shortly after his bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Trump called the initiative “very important,” underscoring its role in the two allies’ broader security cooperation.
“It’s very important. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have approved it,” Trump said. “We need ammunition. We’re going to end up in a few months, we’ll have more ammunition than any country has ever had… missiles, the speedy ones, the slow ones, the accurate ones — we have everything.”
The Subic Bay project, which would rise inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, is part of ongoing efforts under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to modernize and deepen U.S.-Philippine defense ties. The initiative comes at a time of heightened tensions in the South China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific region.
In Washington, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has directed the Departments of Defense and State, along with the International Development Finance Corporation, to assess the feasibility of setting up such a facility in Subic Bay.
Supporting Philippine Self-Reliance
For his part, Marcos explained that the project aligns with the Philippines’ goal of strengthening its own defense industry, under what he called the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program — with U.S. support complementing that vision.
“This is actually (the U.S.) assisting the Philippines in what we call our self-reliance defense program, which is to allow us to be self-reliant and to be able to stand on our own two feet, whatever the circumstances that occur in the future,” Marcos said.
Asked about the possibility of hosting more U.S. missile systems in the Philippines, Marcos noted that the country’s modernization efforts are simply a response to evolving security challenges.
“We would certainly like any kind of military spending — we would wish that it wasn’t necessary, but it is,” he added.
A Strategic Location
The proposed ammunition plant would be built on the site of the former U.S. naval base at Subic, which has since been transformed into a thriving commercial hub. Subic has long been viewed as a key strategic location because of its proximity to the West Philippine Sea — a resource-rich area within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which overlaps with China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea.
The initiative marks another step in the deepening of U.S.-Philippine defense cooperation, with both leaders framing it as a mutually beneficial response to an increasingly complex regional security environment.
Jul 23, 2025
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