The Philippines remains an Irreplaceable U.S. Allies in Indo-Pacific to Counter Chinese Aggression

[Starmix]

According to the report, the sovereignty of The Philippines was the first ASEAN member to be directly affected by China’s military expansion in the South China Sea. With lesser economic influence and military power, the same thing in the rest of the Indo-Pacific, outside help from the international community is much needed, to secure the peace, and stability in the region.An irreplaceable U.S. ally for seven decades, the Philippines has long been at the forefront of preserving the free and open regional order in Southeast Asia and the greater Indo-Pacific region.

The report said that the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America, signed in 1951, serves as a foundation for the close security cooperation between the two countries. Seventy-four years after its signing, the alliance continues to thrive in the ever-evolving security environment that surrounds the Philippines. The US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty evolved into the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The report also stated that the VFA provides the legal basis and status protections for U.S. military and Department of Defense civilian personnel in the Philippines on official business. While EDCA authorizes U.S. forces to access of agreed locations in the Philippines on a rotational basis, for security cooperation exercises, joint and combined military training activities, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities.The Philippines US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a deal widely seen as an effort to counter China’s strong presence in the West Philippine Sea. The agreement gives the US military access to Philippine bases, for training as well as for humanitarian and disaster relief activities.

The report added that Manila and Washington initially identified five sites for the agreement, namely Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation, Lumbia Air Base, Antonio Bautista Air Base and Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base. Four new additional EDCA locations was approved last year, which Includes the Completed Military runway in Balabac Palawan, along with Naval Base Camilo Osias and Lal-lo Airport located in Cagayan, and Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu Isabela. The Philippines, is strategically positioned, east of the South China Sea, a thoroughfare for roughly 30 percent of global maritime trade. An estimated a third of global trade worth $6 Trillion passes through the South China Sea annually.

In addition to the report, the Philippines archipelago is also a major part of the first island chain, which refers to the first chain of major Pacific archipelagos out from the East Asian continental mainland coast. Currently, the first island chain is the most effective point to counter any Chinese invasion and expanding influence.The mutual defense treaty will give access to the United States to increase its Military presence in the region, gaining additional control over four more sites and strengthening the Southeast Asian nation’s role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan.


Watch the report via the YT link.

 

[Augusta]

Good that United States Military presence in the region,will cover more sites for protection

 

[Starmix]

The USA is forever an ally of the Philippines. It was already done in a compact when the Philippines declared its first independence in 1942. It was the USA who wiped out the foreign invaders, the Spaniards and the Japanese.