Video- Asia pivot: US set to boost military presence in Philippines

[JayAtl]

Watch the video by going to the link below.

US forces are set for an “increased rotational presence” in the Philippines, following negotiations in Manila. The two countries aim to counter China’s growing ambitions in the region.

The Pentagon currently conducts a regular joint exercise and has a rotating force of 500 troops in the Southern Philippines, but may send more soldiers and advanced equipment, or upgrade local facilities. Officials say that no specifics have been laid out in the first round of a four-stage negotiation.

“There should be a focus on high-impact, high-value training exercises and activities that would focus on maritime security, maritime domain awareness and our perennial problem with disasters,” said Defense Undersecretary Pio Batino, who was present at the discussion.

The Philippines was a US colony between 1898 and 1946, and the presence of American troops remains a controversial issue. The US abandoned its last base in the South Asian country in 1992.

But tensions in the region have escalated as in the past decade Beijing began to lay forceful claims to almost the entirety of the South China Sea (which the Philippines calls West Philippine Sea), that rounds the coastlines of most of the states in the region.

As disputes over potentially lucrative sea lanes and underground mineral resources have grown more bitter, Manila has made diplomatic appeals to the UN over what it calls “excessive claims”, and has sought greater assistance from the United States.

After years of being bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq, Washington has also re-directed its foreign policy towards Asia, signing a docking agreement for its warships with Singapore, and bolstering its troop numbers in Australia.

Officials say that even when finalized, the new agreement will not specify exact troop numbers, and those will have to be negotiated on an annual basis.

Asia pivot: US set to boost military presence in Philippines ? RT News


[MENTION=21651]HongWu[/MENTION] get ready - Big Pappa is back to spank the wal-mart toy army!

 

[JayAtl]

Eyeing China, Philippines gains U.S. ship in military upgrade

http://news.**********/eyeing-china-philippines-gains-u-ship-military-upgrade-072037911.html *** = Ya hoo .com ( which is absurd that it is blocked here)

SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines took possession of a former U.S. Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters.

The military build-up, which is heavily focused on maritime capability, is likely to add to tension over the South China Sea that has threatened to draw in the United States as it refocuses its military attention on Asia.

President Benigno Aquino and senior ministers watched as the frigate, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, sailed into the Philippines' Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base, after a two-month voyage from South Carolina, where its 88 Philippine crew trained for a year.

The 46-year-old Hamilton-class cutter, the second of its type the Philippines has received from its U.S. ally, will be used to patrol areas of the South China Sea near the Philippine coast that have become a major source of tension with Beijing.

View gallery."Philippines' newly acquired frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz …
The Philippines' newly acquired frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz sails into the Subic Bay, a former U.S. na …
"It's very clear - real growth is possible only if there's genuine stability and peace in our nation," Aquino said in a speech, adding the country needed to "erase the image" of a poorly equipped military.

Aquino is determined to modernize the navy and air force after three past administrations failed to implement a 330- billion-peso ($7.6-billion) spending plan passed in 1995, after the Chinese occupation of the half-submerged Mischief Reef.

But a weak economy and two long-running insurgencies by Maoist and Muslim rebels drained the country's funds and left it with one of Southeast Asia's weakest militaries.

When Aquino took over in 2010, just 10 percent of the 1995 plan's budget had been used.

He won congressional approval to extend the plan 15 years and spend $1.7 billion to upgrade the military over the next five years, helped by robust economic growth that hit 7.8 percent in the first quarter this year, the fastest in Asia.

View gallery."President Aquino salutes as he arrives to take part …
President Benigno Aquino salutes as he arrives to take part in an arrival ceremony for the newly acq …
China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim the entire South China Sea while Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines have partial claims on areas believed to have rich deposits of oil and natural gas.

Last year, China added to Manila's alarm by occupying the Scarborough Shoal just 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast, following a tense stand-off with Philippine vessels.

The Philippines received the latest cutter for free under Washington's foreign military financing program, but spent about $15 million to upgrade its weapons and radar systems.

General Emmanuel Bautista, head of the 130,000-member armed forces, said the ship would make "a big contribution" to efforts to secure Philippine territorial waters against intrusions.

"We want to improve our maritime domain awareness so that we know what is going on around us and also be able to respond to some contingencies," Bautista told Reuters in an interview.

View gallery."BRP Ramon Alcaraz arrives in Casiguran sea, the Ph …
Filipino fishermen in colorful fishing boats and a navy patrol gun boat welcome the arrival of BRP R …
"BRP Ramon Alcaraz is going to fill the gap between now and the delivery of new frigates," Bautista said, adding that the armed forces also plan to buy radars, surveillance planes, fighters, and helicopters under the $1.7-billion plan.

Manila has opened talks to acquire a dozen new fighter jets and two frigates from South Korea. It has also ordered 10 coast guard ships from Japan and three more vessels from France.

The military says the government needs to double its defense spending from 1.2 percent of GDP now, in order to properly spot, monitor and prevent intrusions over its vast maritime borders.

Until then, Bautista said, it was "practical" and "pragmatic" to allow a U.S. military presence in the Philippines. "It is a deterrence against external threats," he said. "That's the order of the day now. Nobody stands alone."

The Philippines said last week that Washington had stepped up its military assistance package next fiscal year to about $50 million from $30 million, which would be the highest level since U.S. troops returned to the Philippines in 2000.

The Philippine military has also revived plans to build new air and naval bases at Subic Bay that American forces could use, senior navy officials told Reuters in June.

 

[JayAtl]

Could not have asked for a better gift for america than that of the Chinese pushing the Philippines back into our court.