The Philippines’ bid to beef up its defensive capabilities through partnership with the United States got further boost following the signing of the 2027 Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEC) Plan of Activities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday. Both leaders underscored the importance of sustained engagement in addressing evolving regional security challenges and improving interoperability between the two allied armed forces. There were no immediate word on how many and what kind of activities the 2027 MDB-SEB Plan of Activities will consist due to security reasons. The AFP said the MDB-SEB remains a vital mechanism for advancing the mutual defense and security interests of the Philippines and the United States. Among the activities for the 2027 MDB-SEB Plan are “large-scale exercises to subject-matter-expert exchanges, continuing a partnership that has produced hundreds of bilateral activities annually in recent years.”