American servicemen who have been deployed to Palawan to be part of the “United States Task Force Ayungin” will not directly join members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at sea during resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the National Security Council (NSC).

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the task force will only provide “support” to the AFP particularly in carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations.

“On actual direct participation, it is purely Philippine operation,” the NSA said, emphasizing that the resupply missions are being conducted in collaboration with other Philippine government agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

In layman’s term, members of US Task Force Ayungin are in Palawan for planning purposes when Filipino troops conduct operations such as resupply mission, which are often blocked by Chinese vessels.

The US Task Force Ayungin recently grabbed headlines when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III revealed its existence during his visit to Palawan, with American troops confirmed to have been embedded in the AFP’s Western Command (Wescom).

But AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad explained that the US troops in Palawan only provide technical assistance through the information-sharing group within the Command and Control (C2) Fusion Center in Wescom.

“This support enhances our capability in maritime domain awareness, a critical task that aids in planning and implementing programs and activities to protect our interests in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.

US Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) chief Admiral Samuel Paparo Jr. previously expressed willingness to join the AFP in its resupply missions particularly in Ayungin Shoal, saying they were open to send ships to escort the Philippine boats bringing supplies to troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost.

However, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said he prefers to do the operations by themselves.

“We are going to try all options, all avenues that are available to us. If we can do it by ourselves, we will do it," he said in a defense forum in Manila in August.