BY VICTOR REYES and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
THE United States and Philippine defense departments have adopted a set of guidelines that seek to “modernize” the alliance of the two countries, including in the disputed South China Sea.
The US Department of Defense (DOD) said the Bilateral Defense Guidelines (BDG) was reached by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Filipino counterpart, Carlito Galvez, on May 3 (US time).
In a fact sheet, the DOD said: “The guidelines reaffirm that an armed attack in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea, on either of their public vessels, aircraft, or armed forces — which includes their Coast Guards — would invoke mutual defense commitments under Articles IV and V of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.”
Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) says each party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific region on either party “would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”
The succeeding article of the treaty says an armed attack “is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the Island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”
The DOD specifically mentioned attack on “Coast Guards” and “South China Sea,” which were not mentioned in the MDT.
“Recognizing that threats may arise in several domains — including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace — and take the form of asymmetric, hybrid, and irregular warfare and gray-zone tactics, the guidelines chart a way forward to build interoperability in both conventional and non-conventional domains,” the DOD also said.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels have been the subject of harassment moves by China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
Last April 23, a CCG vessel conducted dangerous maneuver against a patrolling PCG vessel near the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal, causing a near-collision between the two vessels.
On February 6, a CCG vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a PCG vessel during a resupply mission also at Ayungin Shoal, causing temporary blindness of the crew members.
‘INDISPENSABLE ALLY’
Austin, in a meeting with President Marcos Jr. Wednesday at the Pentagon, headquarters of the DOD, reiterated his country’s commitment to the defense of the Philippines, echoing the pronouncement of President Joseph Biden that it is “ironclad.”
Austin noted the MDT, signed by the two countries in 1951, applies to “armed attacks on our armed forces, coast guard vessels, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific including anywhere in the South China Sea.”
“So, make no mistake Mr. President, we will always have your back in the South China Sea or elsewhere in the region,” he said.
Austin also said that the Philippines is an indispensable friend and ally of the US.
“And I said before Mr. President, we’re more than allies, we’re family and we share a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific because a region governed by rules and rights help provide security and prosperity for our two countries and for the whole region,” he said.
Marcos’ visit of Marcos at the Pentagon comes in the wake of the Philippines and the US reaffirming their security alliance amid tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
‘HUNTING GROUND’
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China opposes any country citing bilateral treaties to interfere in the South China Sea and undermine China’s territorial interests and rights.
“The South China Sea is home to all regional countries, and should not be a hunting ground for external forces,” Mao told a regular briefing when asked about the US move to reaffirm its decades-old security alliance with the Philippines.
The six-page bilateral defence guidelines follow a renewed push under Marcos to update the MDT at a time of increased tension and maritime confrontation with China.
The guidelines were a first since the treaty was signed in 1951 and follow scores of Philippine diplomatic protests in the past year over what it calls China’s “aggressive” actions and threats against its coast guard.
The South China Sea, a waterway vital to global trade, has become a major flashpoint in the increasingly testy relationship between China and the United States.
The guidelines send a “warning” to China against targeting the Philippine coast guard said Rommel Ong, former vice commander of the Philippine navy and a professor at the Ateneo School of Government.
NEW CHALLENGES
Marcos emphasized the importance of the continuing exchanges between the Philippines and the US amid “new challenges that perhaps we have not faced before”.
In his meeting with Austin, Marcos also said he looks forward to strengthening Philippine-US relationship which is already a “long-standing and very robust relationship that we have developed over the many years.”
“The call of the times, unfortunately, is asking for us to meet these challenges — new challenges that perhaps we have not faced before. And that’s why it is very important that these continuing exchanges that we have started, first with the visits of the Vice President (Kamala Harris), Secretary (of State Anthony) Blinken, yourself and the 2+2 Meetings that we have conducted last month,” he said.
Marcos also also met with US senators, during which they discussed a wide range of issues that include security, defense, agriculture, and climate change mitigation, economic cooperation and cyber security.
Marcos thanked Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other members of the panel for welcoming his delegation to Capitol Hill were they had a “frank and productive discussions” on the state of Philippines-US relations, according to Malacañang.
The President talked of how the defense and security engagement between the two countries remains the key pillar of the Philippines-US bilateral relations, and expressed the Philippines’ intention to deepen cooperation with the Americans in the areas of supply chain, health and health security, environment, energy security, and interconnectivity.
The President concluded his visit to the US on May 4. From the US, Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are expected to fly to the United Kingdom to attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.
Marcos will also attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia on May 10.
MODERNIZATION
The DOD said the bilateral defense guidelines also seek to modernize defense capabilities.
The Philippine Armed Forces is still implementing its modernization program, primarily to address external threats.
The DOD said there will be close coordination “to identify priority defense platforms and force packages that will bolster combined deterrence and capacity to resist coercion.”
It said the two sides will also “prioritize the procurement of interoperable defense platforms sourced from U.S. programs and Philippine national defense procurement and funding initiatives.”
The BDG also seeks to “expand investments in non-materiel defense capacity building including through education and training exchanges, exercises, and other operational activities.”
The guidelines also seek to deepen interoperability between the two sides by orienting bilateral exercises and activities “around improving our combined ability to counter armed attacks on either country as well as threats in space and cyberspace, while expanding the scope, scale, and complexity of exercises.”
It said calls for the expansion of maritime security and maritime domain awareness cooperation, “including through the continued conduct of combined maritime activities, including but not limited to joint patrols.”
During a meeting in Camp Aguinaldo last February 2, Galvez and Austin agreed to “restart joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea” between the two armed forces to address security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
EDCA
The DOD said BDG also seeks to deepen cooperation under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement “to strengthen interoperability” including through infrastructure improvements; enhanced joint use of facilities; advancement of additional maritime security, maritime domain awareness and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities; and rotational US access to EDCA sites.
The BDG also calls for “real-time information sharing in collaboration with other departments and agencies to support deeper interoperability and operational coordination.”
The guidelines also seek to improve cooperation on cyber defense and cyber security “to secure critical infrastructure and protect against attacks emanating from state and non-state actors.”
It said also calls for the conduct of capacity-building activities “o respond to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear-related attacks and to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” — With Reuters
