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Quick Analysis

U.S., Philippines Move to Counter China

Batan, Corregidor, “I shall return”—places and phrases associated with iconic battles in the Philippines during the Second World War. World War II may be history, but the danger has returned with China taking the place of Imperial Japan. Both Washington and Manila recognize the danger, and are taking steps to address it. In meetings held in the Philippine capital in March, the long-standing post-war defense relationship between the two nations, expressed in the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, was confirmed. Secretaries of Defense from both governments also reaffirmed that the MDT extends to armed attacks against either country’s armed forces, aircraft, and public vessels – including those of their coast guards – anywhere in the South China Sea. They also underscored that, in addition to the 1951 treaty, the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement are critical foundations for continued joint defense goals. New steps were taken, geared towards deterring the intensely growing Chinese threat. Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Teodoro agreed to “reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and achieve Peace through Strength,” according to the U.S. Defense Department. The two nations established a four-piece plan that seeks to build upon the United States’ late July 2024 commitment of $500 billion to modernize the Philippine military. It includes an agreement that the United States will deploy additional advanced military capabilities to the Philippines, plans for bilateral training between both nations for high-end operations, an agreement to prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation, and an agreement to launch a bilateral cyber campaign. The U.S. will also Deploy more advanced. capabilities, including the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and highly capable unmanned surface vessels. Exercising with the NMESIS – a mobile, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher – as part of key exercises could improve interoperability and strengthen deterrence by providing coverage of strategic sea lanes from coastal positions. Going forward, the two nations will conduct advanced bilateral Special Operations Forces training in the Batanes Islands. U.S. Special Operations Forces and Philippine Marines will train together on complex landing scenarios to enhance interoperability between U.S. forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and improve combined capability to conduct high-end operations in the Indo-Pacific region. China has pushed legally unsound and, frankly. Logically ridiculous claims of sovereignty in wide-ranging areas, both in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere, including, absurdly, the Arctic. It does so for both military and economic regions. Beijing hopes to intimidate as many nations as possible in accepting its expansionist demands. The U.S. Army War college had previously warned that “The Philippines’ weak defenses and Washington’s relatively low attention to the country—in contrast to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—make it an attractive target. Beijing would prefer for Washington to abandon Manila, undercutting its credibility with other regional partners. Defeating the US Armed Forces in the archipelago would also bolster China’s military reputation. Add the strategic position of Luzon, the Philippines’ northernmost island on the edge of the Bashi Channel and a major entry point into the South China Sea for external navies like the US Navy, and the Philippines becomes an even more appealing target.” In January, an Australian news source noted that “A Philippine security official says that China is pushing the country ‘to the wall’ with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea, warning that ‘all options are on the table’ for Manila’s response, including new international lawsuits…We do not and will not dignify these scare tactics by backing down. We do not waver or cower in the face of intimidation. On the contrary, it strengthens our resolve because we know we are in the right.” Illustration: Pixabay

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