Manila (AFP) - The United States is “doubling down” on its alliance with the Philippines, defence chief Pete Hegseth said Friday in Manila, in the face of what he called “Communist China’s aggression in the region”.

Hegseth’s trip, aimed at bolstering ties in the Asia-Pacific region as tensions rise with Beijing, comes in the shadow of a mounting scandal at home over leaked plans for a military strike.

The defence secretary revealed details of strikes on Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen in a group of top administration officials on the Signal messaging platform, according to a journalist added to the chat by accident.

But US President Donald Trump has defended Hegseth, and in Manila the defence chief focused on Washington’s plan to “reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region”, he told reporters alongside his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro.

“Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country – considering the threats from the Communist Chinese,” he said earlier, when he met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.

His Manila visit, to be followed by trips to Tokyo and World War II battleground Iwo Jima, follows months of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

“Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict to ensure that there’s free navigation, whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea,” Hegseth said.

“Peace through strength is a very real thing”, he added.

- ‘Advanced capabilities’ -

Manila and Washington have deepened their defence cooperation since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims.

Hegseth said Friday that the United States would deploy “additional advanced capabilities to the Philippines”, including anti-ship missile systems and unmanned surface vehicles, for next month’s joint Balikatan exercises.

Teodoro said the Philippines would accelerate its “capability upgrades and our logistical support facilities to support deterrence”.

The two countries have expanded the sharing of military intelligence in recent years and boosted to nine the number of bases US troops can access on the archipelago.

Given the Philippines’ proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, Manila’s cooperation would be crucial in the event of any conflict with China.

- ‘Witch hunt’ -

Despite mounting pressure over the Signal leak, Trump has defended Hegseth.

“Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this,” Trump said when asked by AFP whether the defence secretary should be considering his position.

“How do you bring Hegseth into this? Look, look it’s all a witch hunt,” Trump added in the Oval Office.

He also repeated his insistence that no classified information was shared in the breach, adding that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz “took responsibility” for the error.

Waltz added Atlantic Magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg to the group chat that included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, National Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard and others.

Apart from the timing of the strikes in Yemen, Hegseth also identified the type of aircraft, missiles and drones used, according to the Atlantic, which later released screen grabs of the chat.

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a bipartisan call on Thursday for a Pentagon watchdog to probe the magazine’s claims.

“If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information,” said a letter from Republican committee chair Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Jack Reed.

But the White House and its allies have largely held firm in their messaging, praising the success of the attacks and slamming Goldberg as an “anti-Trump hater”.