United States Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III plans to push forward the Western strategy of maintaining a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region while he is in the Philippines.
Austin arrived in the country on Tuesday night, Jan. 31, onboard the United States Air Force (USAF) Boeing 747 E4B (Doomsday Plane) aircraft. This is the second time that Austin visited the Philippines, following his first trip in 2021.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) led by its Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreno, rendered the traditional arrival honors to welcome Austin.
Austin is scheduled to meet Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“Wheels down in the Philippines where I’ll meet with Secretary of National Defense Galvez and other senior leaders to build on our strong bilateral relationship, discuss a range of security initiatives, and advance our shared vision of a #freeandopenpacific,” Austin posted on his official Twitter account as he shared a video clip of his arrival.
The US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) is released by US President Joseph Biden Jr. in February 2022 and implemented by countries with similar interests in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea (SCS) amid China’s aggression.
The strategy “seeks to ensure America’s continued preeminence in the region and constrain China’s efforts to alter the balance of power in Beijing’s favor,” according to policy brief “America’s Evolving Indo-Pacific Strategy: Implications for the Philippines-US alliance” published by the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP).
The Indo-Pacific region is deemed by the US government as the “fastest growing region in the planet” as it accounts for 60 percent of the world economy.
In a speech in Indonesia in November 2021, US Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken said the Indo-Pacific region accounted for 60 percent of the world economy, and two-thirds of all economic growth over the last five years. He noted that it was the destination for nearly one-third of the US’s exports, and the source of $900 billion in foreign direct investment in America.
Aside from this, Austin is also expected to discuss with Galvez the status of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a 2014 accord between Manila and Washington which allows the rotation of American troops into the Philippines and their operation of facilities on Philippine bases, as well as the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
Under the EDCA, the governments of the two countries are building facilities at five existing military camps where the US may rotate its forces and equipment.
These are located at Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro City; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
The US Embassy had said that the US government had allocated more than $82 million for the implementation of the projects.
Further, the US has also proposed to the Philippines the establishment of five additional EDCA sites to complement the existing ones.
Two of the target sites would be in Cagayan, and one each in Palawan, Zambales, and Isabela, former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AF) chief Bartolome Vicente Bacarro said in November 2022.