The U.S. military will be expanding its presence in the Philippines as a key strategic footing for Washington amid the escalating China-Taiwan tensions.
On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Llyod Austin arrived in Manila to meet with his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. as well as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss both countries’ commitment to strengthening their forces to resist an armed attack.
As part of the agreement between the longtime allies, U.S. forces were granted access to four more military camps, ramping up to a total of nine bases throughout the Philippines. The expansion marks the first time in 30 years that the U.S. will hold a large military presence in the country.
Austin, who has strengthened security alliances in Asia amid China’s assertiveness toward Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, assured the Southeast Asian nation of U.S. military support.
The Philippines is Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty obligates both countries to help defend each other in events of major conflicts.
“That’s just part of our efforts to modernize our alliance,” Austin said at a joint press conference with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Carlito Galvez. “And these efforts are especially important as the People’s Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea.
Although Austin did not disclose the location of the new bases, the U.S. previously sought access to military camps in the northern region of Luzon, which is across a sea border from Taiwan.
Austin noted that new bases were not permanent.
“This is an opportunity to increase our effectiveness, increase interoperability,” he said. “It is not about permanent basing, but it is a big deal. It’s a really big deal.”
Although the Philippine Constitution prohibits foreign troops from being permanently based in the country, the countries’ Enhanced Defense Cooperation…
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