Perception is now part of strategy in the Indo-Pacific. The United States’ partners must not only contribute more but be seen to be contributing more if they want it to stay invested in regional stability.
So it was helpful this week when Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced in Manila that Canberra would provide drone technology and operator training to the Philippine Coast Guard. Wong said this ‘will provide an additional 10 million Australian dollars, 413 million pesos, of cutting-edge drone technology and operator training’, taking Australian drone support to the Philippines since April 2025 to just under 600 million pesos. The Australian ambassador to the Philippines, Marc Innes-Brown, pointed out that the Australian support for the Philippines ‘benefits not just the Philippines’ maritime security agencies, but the millions of everyday Filipinos who rely on an open and accessible maritime domain for their livelihoods and commerce.’ Similar drones are already in use by the Philippine Coast Guard in maritime patrols as well as search and rescue missions.
This support continues the stepped-up defence cooperation between Australia and the Philippines of recent years. Canberra’s decision this year to augment support for infrastructure projects at five military bases on Luzon is particularly noteworthy, considering their proximity to major security flashpoints in the South China Sea and Taiwan. An Australian Defence spokesperson said in January, ‘Australia is committed to strengthening our defence relationship with the Philippines and supporting the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including defence infrastructure, in areas such as logistics, training and fire safety.’ Joint exercises such as Exercise Alon are another set of activities that have gained greater traction between Australia and the Philippines.
Australia cannot match the US in scale or even the history and culture of bilateral cooperation with Manila. The US will remain the most critical partner for the Philippines, and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two countries remains key in strengthening the partnership.
But Australia’s efforts are complementing US support to the Philippines – and sending a signal to Washington that it doesn’t have to do all the lifting. We ought to see much more of this. The days when the US could do this alone are gone, both for material and American domestic political reasons. America’s Indo-Pacific partners should not only do more, but they should also be seen to be doing more to help themselves and the region to ensure continued US support to regional stability.
Greater regional burden sharing and mutual support can further reinforce US-led deterrence by denial aligned along the first island chain, highlighted in the 2026 US National Defense Strategy.
Australia’s latest inititative is particularly timely, amid China’s provocations against the Philippines, most recently within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. This saw Chinese Coast Guard forces beat a Philippine sailor on Monday at Second Thomas Shoal, using a baton. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said of the clash:
… We remain concerned about destabilising and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea, some of which the Philippines Coast Guard knows too well, including the actions by Chinese vessels towards Philippines vessels we witnessed yesterday morning.
Australia’s provision of drones will enhance Manila’s ability to maintain situational awareness around its offshore territories and within its EEZ and territorial waters, and thus respond to challenges from Beijing.
The drones provided include the US-built Skydio X10, as well as Australian Sypaq Corvo, and US Oceanbotics underwater craft. An important feature of this is that buying the equipment from those suppliers is a step towards reducing dependency on China.
But the provision of the drones needs to be seen within the context of the growing defence and strategic partnership between Manila and Canberra, rather than just in terms of military kit. As ASPI senior fellow Euan Graham noted in 2025, the Philippines is ‘now more strategically entwined with Australia than any other Southeast Asian country.’ There is an urgent need to strengthen Australia’s and the Philippines’ ability to deter a rising China, and regional collaboration is essential to achieve this, and the informal defence and security ‘minilateral’ process, referred to as the ‘Squad’, should be elevated into a more formal defence partnership. Drones should be seen as one element in a wider strategy supporting regional deterrence which, in time, could extend to greater opportunities for host nation support for Australian Defence Force forward deployments, and even mutual security and defence arrangements.
