Gov’t to reactivate Subic as military base — Gazmin

From the Daily Tribune (Jul 29): Gov’t to reactivate Subic as military base — Gazmin

The Department of National Defense (DND) has unveiled a plan to recommission the former US naval base on Subic Bay for Philippine military use which appears to reciprocate the US government’s plan for the rotational presence of its personnel in the country.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the government plans to transfer air and naval forces to Subic Bay as soon as relocation funds are available amid negotiations with the United States on a proposal to position US military equipment and rotate military forces in the country while avoiding the contentious issue of re-establishing permanent bases.

The country has a small navy and air force and relies heavily on support from the United States, a close ally, to modernize its military and upgrade its capabilities. Part of this relationship has involved regular short-term visits by American military forces for joint training, humanitarian work and disaster response.

Gazmin said the plan to reactivate Subic as a military base is meant for “the protection of the West Philippine Sea” which is how the government calls the South China Sea. Subic Bay is a natural deep harbor that can accommodate large warships, he said referring to two used Hamilton-class cutters acquired from the United States Coast Guard that are now the Philippine Navy’s flagships.

Gazmin said the naval fleet base at Sangley Point in Cavite province has a shallower harbor.

Subic’s international airport has been underutilized since U.S. courier giant FedEx transferred its lucrative regional hub from Subic to China in 2009, officials said.
The Philippines plans to grant visiting U.S. forces, ships and aircraft temporary access to more of its military camps to allow for a larger number of joint military exercises than are currently staged each year under an.

A larger U.S. presence could be used for disaster response and serve as a deterrent to what Philippine officials say have been recent aggressive intrusions by China into its territorials waters.

The Philippines has backed Washington’s efforts to reassert its military presence in Asia as a counterweight to China’s rise.

The BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), the country’s second Hamilton-class cutter in service, will leave Naval Base Guam Sunday afternoon for the last leg of its voyage to the Philippines.

“BRP Ramon Alcaraz will begin final voyage to the Philippines when it departs Guam Naval Base at 4 p.m. on Sunday, 28 July 2013,” the Philippine Embassy in Washington said.

The distance from Guam to the Philippines is 1,534 miles or 2,?469 kilometers.
The Filipino frigate had been docked at Pier X-Ray in Guam, following a 10-day voyage across the Pacific Ocean from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic earlier said the vessel is due to arrive at Subic Aug. 4, with President Aquino expected to take part in the welcome. He said the vessel will be commissioned in October and may be deployed to protect the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The arrangement under negotiation seeks to allow American forces to visit for longer periods and be stationed on Philippine military bases.

Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, the head of the Pacific Command, said the United States was looking for access that would enable it to help the Philippines in its defense as well as to aid in responding to disasters as he reiterated stated American policy that it would not reopen bases in the Philippines.

The United States maintained large military bases in the Philippines for nearly a century to counter imperial Japan’s expansion before World War II and, later, to ensure a regional presence in the cold war.

But in 1992, the last American base in the country closed after street protests against what some saw as a painful reminder of decades of American rule, and a decision by the Senate to discontinue the US bases agreement.

The government had reiterated that no new American bases will be put up in the country and said any new agreement would be in line with the Constitution. He said the discussions with the United States involved the use of “rotational” forces.

The New York Times had quoted James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor for IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly, saying a likely model for the use of such forces in the Philippines was the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, a contingent of about 500 members of the United States military who come from various branches.

The task force, which focuses on counterterrorism, has been based on a Philippine military base in Mindanao since 2002 in a facility that is officially considered temporary.

The United States has also used its former naval base in Subic Bay for ship visits.
Subic Bay is a special economic zone catering to private investors. Last year a subsidiary of the United States defense contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries set up operation for the stated purpose of servicing United States Navy ships, suggesting to some that the American presence in the area would grow.

Hardy said the American military’s use of Subic and the rotational presence model used in the southern Philippines were both indications of what an American presence in the Philippines might look like.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/17257-gov-t-to-reactivate-subic-as-military-base-gazmin