The Philippines: Background and U.S. Relations

The United States and the Republic of the Philippines have a deep relationship that includes a bilateral security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close people-to-people ties, and many shared strategic and economic interests. The Philippines, a diverse and democratic island nation situated east of the South China Sea and south of Taiwan, has long played an important role in U.S. Asia policy as a willing security and counterterrorism partner. Popular support in the Philippines for the U.S.-Philippines bilateral relationship and alliance has remained strong over the past several decades, but historically has fluctuated in response to domestic concerns and international events. Current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022. Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the country from 1965 until he was ousted in 1986. Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), is vice president. Both the president and vice president, who are elected on separate tickets, are constitutionally limited to one six-year term. Observers maintain political groupings in the Philippines tend to be fluid, driven more by personalities and interests than by ideologies and policy platforms. Though Marcos and Sara Duterte allied their tickets for the election, they have disagreed on policy and personal issues. In February 2025, the Philippines’ House of Representatives impeached Vice President Duterte on corruption charges and for voicing threats against the president. In July 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the impeachment proceedings to be unconstitutional for a lack of due process; new proceedings were initiated in February 2026. The extradition of former President Duterte to The Hague in March 2025, where he faces charges before the International Criminal Court for “crimes against humanity” during his self-declared “war on drugs,” has further riled Philippine politics. The Marcos administration faces popular pressure over corruption allegations related to substandard or nonexistent flood control projects, which came to light following a series of typhoons in 2025. The Philippines is one of the United States’ five treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific going back to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. In 2023, the two countries increased the number of AFP sites at which U.S. forces are permitted to operate on a rotational basis under the 2014 U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and signed Bilateral Defense Guidelines to clarify the conditions under which the 1951 treaty is operational. U.S. military personnel and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hold regular bilateral military exercises and maritime patrols, collaborate on counterterrorism efforts, and conduct joint humanitarian activities. The Philippines is one of the largest recipients of U.S. military assistance in the East Asia-Pacific region, which includes foreign military financing (FMF) and assistance under the Department of Defense (DOD) Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative. DOD is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025. During his tenure, President Marcos has supported deeper U.S.-Philippine security ties. The Trump Administration has affirmed an “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines, continued providing FMF funds to the country, and approved some new U.S. assistance programs, including related to economic development and public health. The Philippines and the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China) have long-standing disputes over waters and land features in the South China Sea. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concluded that China’s “dashed line” territorial claims have no legal basis. PRC naval, coast guard, and maritime militia vessels repeatedly have contested the Philippines’ ability to operate in the South China Sea. The Philippine government has sought to shift the AFP’s defense posture away from internal security issues and toward external threats—including PRC harassment and interference in the South China Sea. Marcos has continued the government’s focus on external threats through an updated military modernization program and a more visible presence in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Though the Philippines has been one of the region’s most vibrant democracies, the State Department has emphasized continuing and significant human rights issues, including arbitrary or unlawful killings, police impunity, restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, and threats and violence against labor activists. From 2016 to 2022, former President Duterte’s “war on drugs” resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings, with estimated deaths related to the campaign ranging from 6,252, according to the Philippine government, to 30,000, as reported by human rights organizations. Since the campaign launched in 2016, the U.S. government has suspended some counternarcotics assistance to the Philippine National Police. Under the Marcos administration, Philippine officials have stated that the government will continue the drug war, though it will target large illegal drug operators rather than petty offenders and focus on drug rehabilitation.