WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday reassured the Philippines anew that the U.S. commitment to the country's defense^[1] is steadfast amid increasing concerns about provocative Chinese actions in disputed areas of the South China Sea^[2].

A day after President Joe Biden convened a trilateral summit involving himself, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the U.S. and Filipino foreign and defense ministers and national security advisers met to discuss strategic and military issues.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan hosted their Philippine counterparts at the State Department.

“Today’s meeting reflects the growing and deepening cooperation between our countries on a broad array of issues and of course our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea,” Blinken said in brief opening remarks. “We very much welcome this opportunity to pursue that cooperation, that collaboration and of course we stand with the Philippines in our iron-clad defense commitments including the Mutual Defense Treaty.”

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo echoed those remarks. “We attach a lot of importance to this meeting especially in light of recent developments in the South China Sea, especially China’s escalation of its harassment,” he said. "We are determined to assert our sovereign rights, especially within our exclusive economic zone.”

Austin later hosted Marcos at the Pentagon, where they discussed ways to deepen military cooperation, including by increasing the frequency of joint patrols in the South China Sea. Austin noted that the Pentagon’s budget request for 2025 includes $128 million for 36 projects at Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites, which would more than double the amount it has invested since the program began 10 years ago.

“This visit here to the Pentagon reaffirms once again the strength of the relationship between the United States and the Philippines in the face of all of the threats and challenges that we have had to face together,” Marcos said. He said he hoped the agreements reached Thursday “will make the safety, the peace and the stability of the South China Sea a reality.”

On Thursday at the summit, Biden said the U.S. treaty obligations to its Pacific allies, like Japan and the Philippines, were “ironclad.” “Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty,” Biden said.

The White House billed the first trilateral summit with Japan and the Philippines as a potent response to China’s attempts at “intimidation” and said it would send a message that China is “the outlier in the neighborhood,” according to an administration official.

The U.S. and the Philippines have had a mutual treaty in place for more than 70 years. Biden’s vigorous reinforcement of the American commitment comes in the midst of persistent skirmishes between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards in the disputed South China Sea.

Relations between China and the Philippines have been repeatedly tested by confrontations involving the two nations’ coast guard vessels^[3] there. Chinese coast guard ships also regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands near Taiwan^[4].

The so-called “gray-zone” harassment by China has included shining military-grade lasers at the Philippine Coast Guard, firing water cannons at vessels and ramming into Philippine ships near the Second Thomas Shoal, which both Manila and Beijing claim. In 1999, Manila intentionally ran a World War II–era ship aground on the shoal, establishing a permanent military presence there.

Chinese officials have bristled at criticism over their actions in the South China Sea and blamed the U.S. for exacerbating tensions.

Spokeswoman Mao Ning of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Second Thomas Shoal — a primary source of contention with the Philippines — as well as the Senkaku Islands and said its actions in the South and East China Seas are justified, lawful and beyond reproach.

“We firmly oppose relevant countries flexing muscles and acting like bullies in the South China Sea,” she said. “Relevant countries, out of selfish interests, join countries outside the region and serve as their pawns to contain China. Our message to these countries: recent history tells us that eventually pawns will easily be abandoned.”

Biden, a Democrat, has made improving relations with the Philippines a priority since Marcos became the country’s president in June 2022. The relationship has had ups and downs over the years^[5] and was in a difficult place when Marcos took office. Human rights groups said Marcos’ predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.

Marcos, the son and namesake of the country’s former dictator, said as a candidate he would look to pursue closer ties with China. But he has increasingly drifted toward Washington amid concerns about China’s coercive action.

For the first time ever, military schools have begun enrolling students for a new, full-day universal prekindergarten program^[1].

The new Department of Defense Education Activity pre-K program is set to start at the beginning of next school year with enrollment and has long been sought^[2] by military families, especially those with two working parents, including dual-military couples. Now, 80 of 90 DoDEA schools will host the universal program, with enrollment opened for school starting this fall.

"It really adds a lot more into the support we can provide to military families," Will Griffin, the communications director for DoDEA, told Military.com in an interview Thursday.

Read Next: 'Restore Real Value': House Panel Wants to Give Junior Enlisted Troops 15% Pay Raise^[3]

Pre-K is already offered at some DoD schools, but not everywhere. In many cases, when it is offered, the program allows only half-day enrollment, leaving many working parents to come up with alternative child care solutions.

The initiative, fueled by $94 million in a defense spending bill passed by Congress^[4] last month, is open to all children eligible to attend DoDEA schools who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1. It will follow the widely used early childhood development "Creative Curriculum^[5]."

The program is set to open after undergoing a successful pilot program^[6] last year at an elementary school at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni^[7], Japan, Griffin said.

The 10 schools that will not offer universal pre-K are in the process of undergoing significant renovations or new construction to accommodate future students, Griffin said, adding that DoD schools must adhere to certain facility requirements for hosting elementary school students.

Those schools include four elementary schools at Fort Campbell^[8], Kentucky; one at Fort Novosel^[9], Alabama; and five additional schools across Europe, including four in Germany and one in Kleine Brogel, Belgium.

The schools that will offer universal pre-K will begin the program 10 days after the start of the regular school year for older students. Griffin said the delayed start will allow additional time for pre-K teacher professional development, and will let teachers and families schedule one-on-one meetings to help children ease into the change.

The DoDEA expects numbers of pre-K enrollment to closely match kindergarten enrollment, which currently hovers around 6,000 students, Griffin said, adding that the bulk of military students are youngsters enrolled in pre-K through fifth grade.

DoDEA is working to add 500 jobs to support the program, including 250 teachers and 250 teaching aides. The student-to-teacher ratio for the program is set at 18 students for every one teacher, with a teaching aide. Teaching aides are "paraprofessionals" and are not required to have a teaching degree or license.

Roughly 80% of new pre-K staff have been hired so far, Griffin said.

Details on the delayed school openings and student registration can be found on the DoDEA website^[10]. Registration is open and will not close, though early enrollment is encouraged.

-- Kelsey Baker is a graduate student at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, and a former active-duty Marine. Reach her on X at @KelsBBaker or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[11].

Related: DoD Schools Roll Out New 'Gender-Neutral' Dress Code for Students^[12]