Manila, July 2 -- The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Hawaii National Guard on Tuesday reaffirmed their long-standing defense partnership following the meeting of their two ranking officials.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DND said Defense Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo and Hawaii National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan reaffirmed during the meeting the enduring Philippines-US partnership through the State Partnership Program.

"Undersecretary Lorenzo conveyed appreciation for the 25-year collaboration between the Hawaii National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), emphasizing its critical role in strengthening interoperability, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and security oper...