MANILA (AP) - Australia has promised to donate 28 high-speed gunboats that the Philippine military could use in security operations, such as battling terrorists, Filipino defense officials said Tuesday.
The boats, to be delivered in batches starting this year, are a sign of intensifying defense ties between the two nations -- both key U.S. military allies -- the officials said.
Military officials have not yet decided where to deploy the gunboats, which could each carry six soldiers and three crewmen and navigate with a global positioning system, said Defense Undersecretary Antonio Santos.
They would likely be used in security operations nationwide, particularly in southern regions threatened by terror groups, and in training, he said.
Aside from the gunboats, which are worth about 4 million Australian dollars (US$3.28 million; ?2.44 million), Australia has pledged to continue providing various types of training, including a planned leadership workshop for the Philippine military's 44 two-star generals, said Defense Assistant Secretary Joji Aragon.
Philippine defense officials met their Australian counterparts Tuesday in talks in Manila that focused on security cooperation.