Basa Air Base: An expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which grants the Western power access to military bases in the Southeast Asian nation, will soon be announced by the United States and the Philippines.
In addition to the five bases already authorised by the 2014 EDCA, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month granted the United States access to four additional bases. This decision coincides with China's escalating assertiveness towards Taiwan's self-rule and the South China Sea.
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the defence agreements between the two countries were "not focused on any particular issue" while visiting the Basa Air Base in Manila, one of the current EDCA sites.
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Although it is not a permanent presence, EDCA grants the US access to Philippine bases for joint training, equipment pre-positioning, and the construction of facilities like runways, fuel storage, and military housing.
The United States requested access to bases in Isabela, Zambales, and Cagayan, all on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, as well as on Palawan in the southwest, close to the contentious Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, according to a former military chief who spoke out publicly about the request. The Philippines has not yet formally identified the locations.
According to Carlito Galvez, the Philippines' defence chief, local officials at the potential EDCA sites have supported the government's decision to grant the US greater access to the bases.
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Leading the groundbreaking ceremony for the runway restoration at Basa Air Base were Galvez and Kendall. In a speech, Kendall stated that "today's event is a physical manifestation of our Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a key pillar of the US-Philippine alliance," adding that it was built upon a seven-decade-old Mutual Defense Treaty that was applicable anywhere in the South China Sea.
We are at a turning point in history, and by working together, we can keep moving towards peace and stability, he continued.
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The United States has allocated $82 million for infrastructure improvements at the five current EDCA sites, part of which goes towards runway rehabilitation. Going forward, Galvez expressed the hope that the US would take into account more EDCA projects.