More weapons could come. After the foreign and defense ministers of both the United States and the Philippines held talks earlier this month, Washington said it would commit to adopt “a security sector assistance road map” in the Philippines, which “will guide shared defense modernization investments.” Mr. Marcos is set to meet President Joe Biden next week in Washington.

Collin Koh, a research fellow and expert on maritime security in Southeast Asia, said that the Philippines could “help to complicate Chinese defense planning” in the South China Sea. “Even weaker actors can pull off certain victories,” he said, pointing to how Ukraine’s vastly outgunned military had shocked and stymied Russian forces over the past year.

In the event of an attack on the Philippines, General Brawner said his army “will defend it unilaterally at first, but then we will be expecting help from our allies and our partners.”

Although the United States and the Philippines are bound by a 1951 mutual defense treaty, many Filipino officials had long been skeptical about whether the United States would come to the aid of the Philippines in the event of a Chinese attack. Now, they say they are more reassured, especially after several visits by high-level U.S. officials.

Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Ryan, commander of the 25th U.S. Infantry Division, based in Hawaii, said the U.S. Army had a seminar with their Philippine counterparts in Manila in late February, during which the Filipinos “discussed their concept for the defense of the Philippines” if it were to come under attack from China.