US Deepens security โTies with Philippines & โขJapan โAmidst Rising Chinese Influence
WASHINGTON D.C. – A shifting strategic landscape in Asia,โ driven by China‘s growing military and economic power, is prompting the United States to bolster security cooperation with key allies, particularly the Philippines and Japan. While both nations require enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, the Philippinesโ faces a more acute need for support, experts say, as it navigates escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
The need for advanced military โคtechnologies is becoming increasingly critical for these Pacific partners. Both the Philippines and Japan require access to space-based and over-the-horizon ISR systems. The Philippines, specifically, lacks its โown โdedicated maritime patrol aircraft like theโข P-8 and Airborneโ Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, necessitating reliance on โU.S.support.A notable step forward in this cooperation came last year with the finalization of a General Security of Military Facts Agreement (GSOMIA) between the U.S. and the โฃPhilippines, after โtwo decades of negotiation. This agreement allows for the sharing of highlyโ classified and near-real-time data with Manila.
Beyond ISR, the โฃPhilippinesโข also requires assistance with strike capabilities.While the nation โขhas acquired โa battery of BrahMosโค intermediate-range cruise missiles from India, their limited range – approximately 150-200 โขmiles -โฃ necessitates reliance on longer-range systemsโ like U.S.Tomahawk cruise missiles, which โฃhave been rotating throughโฃ the Philippines forโข joint exercises over โคthe past two years.
Ultimately,โฃ both allies dependโ on theโค U.S. for deterrence, particularly the U.S. surface fleet and strategic bomber โฃfleet, in the event of escalation with China. โฃ “They don’t have anything they could throw against the Chinese if this โescalated,” aโ source noted.
However, experts emphasize that military hardware is only part of the equation. A crucial element for securing continued โPhilippine cooperation, particularly regarding access during a potential taiwan crisis, is a firm and repeated U.S. political commitment to intervene if China uses โforce against Filipinoโข forces in โtheโข South China โSea. “Without that, the Filipinos are not going to โsay, youโฃ can have access โto the Philippines through a Taiwan crisis, and โคyou don’t have to defend us if we’re attacked in the โขSouth China Sea.Those two areโค intrinsically linked โin a way that the Americans sometimes have trouble remembering,” the source explained, referencing the โขrequest of โคArticle 5 of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty โคeven in situations consideredโ secondary โor tertiary concerns.