U.S. to boost Philippine military bases amid Chinese aggression in Indo-Pacific

The U.S. will help the Philippines beef up several military bases as part of an expanded defense agreement between Manila and Washington aimed at countering aggressive Chinese military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Pentagon this week identified the four sites to be expanded as Naval Base Camilo Osias, Camp Melchor Dela Cruz, Balabac Island and Lal-lo Airport. A Defense Department spokeswoman said the agreement will “strengthen the interoperability of the United States and Philippine armed forces.”

There are no plans to permanently assign U.S. troops to the newly expanded military bases in the Philippines. Rotating military personnel there will “allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural and humanitarian disasters,” deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Meanwhile, the U.S. will send more than 12,000 troops to the Philippines from April 11-28 to take part in Balikatan 2023, an annual exercise between the two allies. About 5,400 military personnel from the Philippines will be involved. The two countries’ warriors will solidify maritime security and amphibious operations, plus conduct live-fire training and urban warfare missions.

Balikatan 2023 will take place throughout the country. Troops from the U.S. and the Philippines also will run through humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness drills, officials said.

About 9,000 military personnel took part in last year’s U.S.-Philippines mission. Manila is the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the region and a key ally in Washington’s strategic pivot to the Indo-Pacific region. 

“The increase in participating personnel from Balikatan 2022’s … participants shows that the scope of the exercise grows consistently year after year,” U.S. officials said.

Balikatan is a Tagalog term that translates to sharing the load together, U.S. officials said.