U.S. negotiating to rotate troops to 8 Philippine bases
By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer 5:39 p.m. EDT April 28, 2015
The U.S. military will have access to eight or more Filipino bases for rotational deployments as part of a new defense agreement, according to Philippine media, in what looks to be a landmark basing expansion as part of the Pentagon's Asia-Pacific pivot.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will allow the U.S. to use eight bases for troop rotations, Gen. Gregorio Catapang, the Philippine military chief of staff, told ABS-CBN News.
Two of these bases are located near disputed islands in the hotly contested South China Sea: Antonio Bautista Air Base and Naval Station Carlito Cunanan.
Stars and Stripes newspaper also named the other bases Catapang said were being considered: Fort Magsaysay, Crow Valley, Basa Air Base, ; Naval Station San Miguel, Benito Ebuen Air Base and Naval Base Rafael Ramos. Plans are in place to increase the number of rotational U.S. ships, Marines and aircraft in Subic Bay.
Officials at U.S. Pacific Command referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately return calls Tuesday.
MARINE CORPS TIMES
Philippine military exercise Balikatan reaffirms U.S.-Philippines ties
The announcement hit as more than 11,000 Filipino and U.S. troops are conducting the largest amphibious exercise in at least 15 years. The Philippine military is hosting Exercise Balikatan, an annual training exercise that helps the two countries prepare for bilateral missions.
While Philippine officials tout the need for military cooperation and the ability to boost disaster relief (6,000 Filipinos died as a result of Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013), China is at the heart of this move. China's drive to control more sea lanes and resources is anchored by a military buildup and claims of full ownership of nearly all islands and resources in the South China Sea and East China Sea. In 2013, China set a 200-mile maritime exclusive economic zone to regulate foreign military activities, and an Air Defense Identification Zone designed to control airspace above the East China Sea. The U.S. responded by sending strategic bombers through the disputed zone in an act of strategic defiance.
Still, territorial clashes are increasingly common. In addition to a turf war with the Philippines over Scarborough Reef and Second Thomas Shoal, China has long-standing turmoil with Taiwan and has recently clashed with Vietnamese ships and had close calls with Japanese aircraft over the Senkaku Islands. Its most recent tactic is to use land reclamation to build air strips and outposts on reefs and islands in the South China Sea.
The EDCA, signed last year by Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg, would allow U.S. troops to build facilities, store gear, and conduct joint training exercises with the Philippine military. The Philippine courts are now addressing whether the agreement is constitutional.
Critics in the Philippines say such a move would diminish the country's sovereignty, and have voiced concern about everything from pollution to prostitution.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/04/28/us-negotiating-troop-rotation-philippines-catapang-china-base-troops/26512301/
