MANILA -- The U.S. has exempted $500 million from its foreign aid freeze to help the Philippines upgrade its military capabilities, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday during a visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
"We're doubling down on that partnership," Hegseth said after meeting his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, in Manila. "Our ironclad alliance has never been stronger."
_2048x1152.jpg?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)