MANILA — The Philippines is actively pursuing a “one-theatre” military concept to unify operations across both the East and South China Seas, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on June 30, highlighting the country’s strategic response to threats similar to those faced by Japan.

The “one-theatre” idea involves treating these two key maritime zones as a single operational area, enhancing coordination in surveillance, intelligence sharing, and joint responses. While inspired by a similar proposal from Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani earlier this year, Teodoro clarified that the Korean Peninsula would be excluded from this combined operational concept.

“At its core, this approach fosters synergy in operations, domain awareness, intelligence exchange, and leverages our combined strengths for real-time response,” Teodoro explained during a briefing held alongside Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene, who was visiting Manila.

The East China Sea and South China Sea are flashpoints of ongoing disputes. Japan and China frequently confront each other over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while the Philippines and China have long clashed over maritime features within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Japan’s Joint Operations Command is already implementing the “one-theatre” concept. According to Teodoro, a coordinating centre will be set up in December under the “Squad” alliance—comprising defence ministers from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the US—to streamline cooperation and enforcement of this strategy.

“This is already an operational concept and does not require new agreements to take effect,” Teodoro emphasized.

Building on a 2024 military pact allowing troops to operate on each other’s territories, the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has broadened its network of alliances beyond the United States. Recent defence agreements include partnerships with Japan, New Zealand, and ongoing talks with Canada and France.

In a sign of expanding international cooperation, the Philippines and Lithuania signed a memorandum of understanding on June 30 aimed at deepening collaboration in cyber security, maritime security, and munitions production.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Sakaliene remarked on the shared nature of their security challenges, saying, “We’re facing absolutely similar threats, and our hostile neighbours are using absolutely similar approaches.”

China’s embassy in Manila had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.