US DEFENSE Secretary Lloyd Austin III said more T-12 unnamed surface vessels (USV) will be transferred to the Philippines to help defend Philippine interests.
Austin made the announcement on Tuesday in Palawan where he visited one of the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the US, specifically the Antonio Bautista Air Base.
During his visit in Palawan, Austin witnessed the Philippine Navy demonstrate the capabilities of a T-12 USV which were among the several units delivered by US to the Philippines this year.
The USV has a length of 3.6 meters and is capable of performing multiple operations, including patrol, search and rescue, surveillance, and mine warfare.
“We expect to see many more platforms like this delivered with the $500 million in foreign military financing that I announced during my visit in July, to help ensure that the Philippines has the capabilities and means to defend its rights and its sovereignty throughout its exclusive economic zone,” said Austin.
He was referring to the $500 million in security assistance which he and US Secretary of the State Antony Blinken announced after a meeting with their Philippine counterparts at Camp Aguinaldo.
The assistance is meant to help modernize the Armed Forces and the Philippine Coast Guard. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr has said the assistance will help prevent Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea.
Austin said Teodoro has identified the “priorities” in terms of the capabilities that the Philippines need.
“We will work with them to fill those priorities. But we want to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to help him increase his domain awareness, his ability to protect the sovereign territory and its interests,” said Austin.
“And cyber plays a critical role in that respect, and you saw evidence of that earlier today when the T-12 was on display out there. A T-12, as you know, (is) a fundamental part of that is the ability to command and control that using cyber capabilities,” added Austin.
The US has been supporting the Philippines in asserting its claim in the West Philippine Sea.
China has become aggressive in its claims in the South China Sea in the past years and has harassed Philippine government vessels and aircraft, and even Filipino fishing vessels, in the West Philippine Sea, including at the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal.
On Tuesday afternoon, through X (formerly Twitter), Austin disclosed the presence of a “US Task Force Ayungin.”
While in Palawan, Austin said he also visited the Command and Fusion Center.
“I also met with some American service members deployed to US Task Force Ayungin and I thanked them for their hard work on behalf of the American people and our alliances and partnerships in this region,” said Austin.
AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes referred media to the US Embassy when asked for details about the US Task Force Ayungin.
