Manila: The Philippines is aligning with regional partners to implement a unified military strategy across both the East and South China Seas, according to the country’s defence chief, Gilberto Teodoro. Speaking on Monday, Teodoro said the “one-theatre” concept—treating these contested maritime zones as a single operational area—reflects the common security challenges faced by nations like Japan and the Philippines.
Originally floated by Japan earlier this year, the concept was proposed by then-defence minister Gen Nakatani during talks with U.S. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. It envisions coordinated military readiness across the East China Sea, South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, and nearby areas. Teodoro expressed support for the strategy but noted the Philippines prefers the focus remain on maritime regions, excluding the Korean Peninsula.
“This framework enables joint operations, real-time intelligence sharing, enhanced domain awareness, and stronger collective action,” Teodoro said during a press briefing alongside Lithuanian defence minister Dovile Sakaliene, who is currently visiting Manila.
Both Japan and China continue to face off over disputed islands in the East China Sea—called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China—while tensions between the Philippines and China persist in the South China Sea, particularly within Manila's exclusive economic zone.
Teodoro noted that Japan’s Joint Operations Command is already advancing the single-theatre strategy, and a regional defence coordination centre—comprising Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S.—will be launched in December to support its implementation. “It is not a theoretical concept anymore. It’s being put into action and does not require further treaties,” he said.
The Philippines has been expanding its defence partnerships under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., recently concluding a reciprocal military access agreement with Japan and finalizing defence arrangements with New Zealand. Manila is also in talks with Canada and France for similar pacts.
In a show of deepening international cooperation, the Philippines and Lithuania signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, pledging joint efforts in cybersecurity, maritime defence, and weapons manufacturing.
“We are facing nearly identical threats, and the methods used by our adversaries are strikingly similar,” said Sakaliene, echoing Teodoro’s call for collective vigilance.
