Hagerty, Kaine Partner to Strengthen and Modernize U.S.-Philippines Military Alliance

Senate approves PERA Act as part of National Defense Authorization Act that the President will sign into law

WASHINGTON-Today,United States Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) applauded the congressional passage of their Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act (PERA Act) as part of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now heads to the President to be signed into law. The PERA Act will deepen U.S.-Philippines defense cooperation and strengthen the defense capabilities and interoperability of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance to meet growing threats in the Indo-Pacific.

"As the United States and the Philippines face growing challenges to security and prosperity in the West Philippines Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific, it's critical for our two nations to deepen cooperation and raise our decades-long Alliance to even greater heights," saidSenator Hagerty. "This bipartisan bill will significantly increase U.S. security assistance to the Philippines and profoundly strengthen and modernize the defense and deterrence capabilities of our Alliance. I'm pleased to see the Senate pass this bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to President Trump signing this bill into law."

"The Philippines is a key ally of the United States, and we must strengthen cooperation with our partners across the region to counter China's aggression and help ensure freedom, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," said Senator Kaine. "I'm glad that our legislation to significantly boost our security partnership with the Philippines was included in this year's defense bill."

The Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act:

• Annually authorizes up to $500 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant assistance to the Philippines for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030-a total of $2.5 billion over five fiscal years;
• Requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit an annual spending plan to Congress on how the U.S. government would spend FMF as security assistance to the Philippines; and
• Requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and other appropriate department/agency heads, to submit an annual report to Congress on steps taken to enhance the United States-Philippines defense relationship, including:
  • A description of the capabilities needed to modernize the defense capabilities of the Philippines, including with respect to coastal defense, long-range fires, integrated air defenses, maritime security, manned and unmanned aerial systems, mechanized ground mobility vehicles, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, defensive cybersecurity, and any other defense capabilities that the Secretary of State determines, including jointly with the Philippines, are crucial to the defense of the Philippines.
  • A description of additional appropriations and/or authorization laws required to provide support for and cooperation with the Philippines on these capabilities.

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