Us-philippines

US missile system will remain in Philippines despite China's alarm

American and Filipino security officials have agreed to keep a US mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines indefinitely to boost deterrence despite China's expressions of alarm, two Philippine officials said on Wednesday. The US Army transported the Typhon missile system, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of combat exercises in April with Philippine troops and to test its deployability aboard an Air Force aircraft. Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which places China within their target range. Officials are considering keeping the missile system in the northern Philippines up to April next year, when US and Philippine forces are scheduled to hold their annual Balikatan Tagalog for "shoulder-to-shoulder" large-scale combat exercises, he said. The two officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not ...

US-Philippines boost ties amid concerns over China's aggressive stance

Washington's top diplomat and defence chief, in Manila for talks Tuesday, will announce USD 500 million in military funding to boost Philippine defences and progress in a proposed military pact, given that China's increasingly aggressive actions in the region will not stop, a Philippine official said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has fortified Manila's decades-old treaty alliance with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces flared since last year in the disputed South China Sea. Marcos has underscored the need for a US military presence for Asian stability and peace. After the most violent faceoff between Filipino and Chinese forces on June 17 in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, the countries announced an agreement last week on a temporary arrangement to prevent such clashes in the future. Philippine forces transported food and other supplies and a fresh batch

US renews warning to defend the Philippines after latest China clash

The United States renewed a warning Tuesday that it's obligated to defend its close treaty ally a day after Filipino navy personnel were injured and their supply boats damaged in one of the most serious confrontations between the Philippines and China in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, officials said. China and the Philippines blamed each other for instigating Monday's hostilities in the Second Thomas Shoal, which has been occupied by a small Filipino navy contingent aboard a grounded warship that's been closely watched by Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships in a yearslong territorial standoff. There is fear the disputes, long regarded as an Asian flashpoint, could escalate and pit the United States and China in a larger conflict. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed China's actions with Philippine counterpart, Maria Theresa Lazaro, in a telephone call. Both agreed that China's dangerous actions threatened regional peace and stability, State

US, Philippine forces stage combat drills near channel off southern Taiwan

US Marines and their Filipino counterparts darted out of Black Hawk helicopters during combat drills Monday in the Philippines' northernmost island town along the strategic Bashi Channel off southern Taiwan a flashpoint in the military rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The show of allied battle readiness in Itbayat in Batanes province is part of annual military exercises that started last month, dubbed Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder, and involving more than 16,000 American and Philippine military personnel. This year's exercises by the longtime treaty allies the largest yet are meant to deter possible aggression. They come against the backdrop of China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coast guards and accompanying ships have had several increasingly tense faceoffs since last year. More than 250 French and Australian forces are also participating, along with observers from several allied and security

US, Philippine forces launch combat drills in disputed South China Sea

American and Filipino forces launched their largest combat exercises in years Monday in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing. The annual exercises by the longtime treaty allies will run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces. While the Philippine military maintains that the Balikatan Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder trainings are not directed at a particular country, some of their main conflict scenarios are set in or near the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have figured in a series of increasingly tense territorial faceoffs since last year. In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorting to water cannons, blocking and other dangerous maneuvers that have caused injuries to Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply boats. The Philippine military said a key focu

India delivers BrahMos missiles to Philippines as part of $375 mn deal

The export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system along with the missiles started last month itself

China flexes its might against the Philippines in disputed waters

It was a heart-pounding moment far out in the disputed South China Sea: One of at least five Chinese coast guard ships aggressively approached and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel, creating a loud, jarring noise that sent its Filipino crew scrambling to lower rubber fenders to cushion the boat's hull. As the high-seas faceoff unfolded on Tuesday, two Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons against a smaller supply boat carrying a Filipino admiral and his sailors. The high-pressure spray shattered the boat's windshield and mildly injured the admiral and four sailors with glass shards and splinters of debris. "That's very concerning and very worrisome, Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos later told reporters, after witnessing firsthand the Chinese actions against the supply boat Unaizah Mae 4, which he was aboard. As the highest-ranking Filipino military commander overseeing the disputed waters, Carlos joined the trip to ensure that any confrontation would not spiral out of control, th

US military drills in Philippines unaffected by focus on Ukraine, Gaza

Combat exercises between the United States and the Philippines involving thousands of forces each year will not be affected by America's focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a US general said Thursday. The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to build deterrence and to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. But there have been concerns that the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict could hamper America's pivot to Asia and the Pacific and divert military resources intended for the region. "Certainly, it does not affect our presence, Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, commanding general of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, told The Associated Press in an interview late Thursday when asked to comment on those concerns. "If anything, it drives an increased sense of urgency to focus on these partnerships that we've developed decades ago and it'

US-Philippines 'ironclad' partners amid China tension, says Biden

President Joe Biden reiterated US commitment to the Philippines' security and noted the deep friendship of the two nations as he hosted Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for White House talks on Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy's harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. Marcos' visit to Washington comes after the US and the Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries air forces on Monday will hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the US access to four more bases on the islands as the U.S. looks to deter China's increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters that are close to Philippine shores but that Beijing claims as its own. But as Biden sat down wit

Joe Biden, Ferdinand Marcos set to meet as tensions grow with China

President Joe Biden is set to host President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines for White House talks on Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy's harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. Marcos' visit to Washington comes after the US and Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries' air forces on Monday will hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the US access to four more bases on the islands as the US looks to deter China's increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters close to Philippine shores but which Beijing claims as its own. Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Macros said he was determined to forge an ever stronger relationship with the United Stat

US-Philippines military alliance 'ironclad': Pentagon chief

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would soon end joint military exercises with the United States