EDCA sites boost defense posture in region – US

MANILA, Philippines — With four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in strategic locations throughout the Philippine archipelago, the United States has achieved historic milestones in enhancing its force posture in the Indo-Pacific region alongside its allies.

This was asserted yesterday by the US Department of Defense, which listed its achievements aimed at making its presence in the region more mobile, distributed and resilient. Among these historic achievements are the following:

• Forward deploying a US Marine Littoral Regiment –  the Marine Corps’ most advanced formation – to Japan by 2025, significantly enhancing combat-credible deterrence;

• Launching a series of new force postures initiatives with Australia, including increased rotations of US bombers and fighters at Australian bases, alongside expanded maritime and ground forces cooperation;

• Expanding US rotational access by designating four new EDCA sites at strategic locations in the Philippines; and

• Building upon decades of defense cooperation with Papua New Guinea, including through the conclusion of a new Defense Cooperation Agreement and a shiprider agreement to enhance PNG’s maritime domain awareness.

As far as the Philippines is concerned, the Pentagon said the new EDCA sites will “strengthen the interoperability of US and Philippine armed forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly to shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.”

In order to boost collective capabilities across the Indo-Pacific, the US is standing with regional allies and partners as they contribute to peace, stability and deterrence.

The United States is doubling down on these efforts by: Coordinating closely with the Philippines on defense modernization, including through the expeditious conclusion of a Security Sector Assistance Roadmap, and to identify investments in priority defense platforms and force packages over the next five to 10 years that will bolster combined deterrence and capacity to resist coercion;

Supporting Japan’s decision to acquire new capabilities that strengthen regional deterrence, including counterstrike capabilities. In January 2023, the Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”) welcomed Japan’s updated national security documents particularly its decisions to acquire a counterstrike capability and to substantially increase its defense budget over the next five years;

Launching the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology in May 2022 to drive co-development and co-production of major defense platforms.

The US is also delivering results for the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), launched in 2022 to provide space-based maritime domain awareness to states across the region, supporting greater transparency by enhancing partners’ abilities to monitor and police their waters.

It is investing over $1.2 billion (P67.49 billion) in security cooperation initiatives across the Indo-Pacific region, including one of the largest investments in history in to bolster Indo-Pacific partners’ capability and capacity, maritime domain awareness and resilience against coercion.

The US Defense Department said bilateral and multilateral exercises in the region have grown in scale, scope and complexity, and the US participates in combined operations that enhance interoperability, boost deterrence and demonstrate shared resolve against coercive behavior, including “Balikatan” with the Philippines.

Balikatan, which recently featured more than 17,600 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and US military, as well as Australian forces, for the first time featured littoral live fire and cyber defense elements to support deeper interoperability between the US and the Philippines.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s seventh trip to the Indo-Pacific comes at a time when the department is doing more than ever with US allies and partners to strengthen peace, stability and deterrence at the heart of a free and open regional vision.

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said the EDCA sites where American troops will have greater access could be used “for whatever the Philippine government invites the United States to do” but these are not US military bases.

The Pentagon said the US is not seeking permanent bases in the Philippines with the new EDCA sites as it gave assurance that activities are responsive to the needs and priorities of local communities.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) welcomed the Japan and United States Coast Guards for the first trilateral exercises focused on search and rescue operations yesterday.

Known as the “PCG-JCG-USCG Kaagapay Trilateral Exercise 2023,” the week-long activity is being conducted in Mariveles, Bataan.

The US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL-752) and the Akitsushima (PLH-32), carrying the Japanese coast guards and their crew, arrived in Manila yesterday to engage in professional exchanges and joint operations with their Philippine and US counterparts. — Mark Ernest Villeza