US military planning to set up storage depot in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The United States military is planning to set up a storage depot in the Philippine for their equipment and logistics from Afghanistan to support future disaster response or other contingency in the Asia-Pacific region, the US military press service said.

Aside from the Philippines, the leadership of the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) is also considering storage facilities in Singapore, according to the report published by the US Department of Defense.

The US is drawing down forces in Afghanistan in preparation for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan bases.

“As opposed to bringing it (logistics and materiel) home, putting it in central storage facilities, it might make more sense, when we do calculus, to forward move (materiel) to a place we could get access at very low-cost storage facilities,” said Brig. Gen. Mark McLeod, USPACOM director for logistics, engineering and security.

He cited several locations, such as Singapore and the Philippines, that have low-cost warehouse space and good airfield and port access.

He said even nations that are not comfortable with US military presence in the region tend to be open to accepting pre-positioned equipment and supplies, typically tucked away in shipping containers and storage facilities, to support a humanitarian response.

“We want to posture them somewhere in the theater that would allow us to react very quickly. We are looking for the opportunities to place those assets out there that will help us address the tyranny of distance,” McLeod added.

He said that materials to be disassembled from expeditionary camps in the US Central Command area of operations – tents, blankets and generators, among them – could be vital in a humanitarian crisis.

Although no part of the world is immune to natural disasters, none experiences them in the number or severity as the Asia-Pacific Region, McLeod said.

Located on the earthquake-prone “ring of fire,” the region also suffers from cyclones, tsunamis, flooding, wildfires and volcanic eruptions, he noted.

“A preponderance of natural disasters happen in this theater, so the question is raised: How do you get enough assets out here to support all the things that happen?” McLeod said.

USPACOM commander Adm. Samuel Locklear III said that he would seek more arrangements that put forces closer to where they might be needed in the event of a natural disaster or other crisis.

The US plan to preposition equipment and logistics to include those being used for humanitarian operations in the Philippines and Singapore came after the US Marines, whose commandant was in the country last week, has started a six-month rotational deployment in Australia.

The US Navy is also deploying its first littoral combat ship to serve on a 10-month rotation basis in Singapore before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the USPACOM plan to relocate some of its logistic assets from Afghanistan to the country would further hasten and enhance the government’s disaster response capabilities.

“The logistics assets of the USPACOM will be of great help in complementing the efforts of the AFP in its humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations,” AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos said.

“As we have already established strong ties with the US Armed Forces and other foreign military partners, exemplified mainly through the numerous bilateral exercises, training, and other undertakings such as the Balikatan, CARAT and Pacific Partnership, the pre-positioning plan will augment and support our efforts to improve and enhance further our interoperability and effectiveness in conducting humanitarian and disaster response operations,” he added.