America’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said the United States only wants to increase training opportunities with the Philippines, clarifying the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement facilities here is not about establishing permanent basing.
Austin made these clarifications after the US and the Philippines announced their agreed plans to designate new four EDCA sites in the country.
“In terms of EDCA locations, I just want to be clear that we are not seeking permanent basing in the Philippines, as you heard us say in our statements, EDCA is a collaborative agreement that enables rotational activities,” Austin said in a media briefing shortly after his meeting with DND Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. last Thursday, 2 February.
Austin emphasized that EDCA sites are about providing Filipino troops with access to better training opportunities on humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts amid the ongoing global initiatives to mitigate the impact of the climate change phenomenon.
“EDCA is a collaborative agreement that enables rotational activities so it’s a key pillar of training and opportunities to strengthen our interoperability,” he said.
Backing Austin’s remarks, Galvez said the Agreed Locations under EDCA are not permanent US bases but should be called “joint US-Philippine military facilities.”
“I think we have to remove the word bases because we call it EDCA sites,” he said.
Galvez said the government will soon reveal the new locations of these sites after completing its consultations with the concerned local government units.
“We withhold the announcement of the EDCA sites because our protocols and also our diplomatic notes have not been completed. So we need to complete all the staff work, including our consultations with the LGUs (local government units),” Galvez said. “I cannot say for now where the new Agreed Locations are, as we want to respect our consultations with the concerned LGUs, as well as give due consideration to Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos,” he said.
Galvez added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines needs additional heavy and medium-lift capability to boost its disaster response missions.
“I believe it’s more on the (heavy and) medium-lift capability like what we have bought for our disaster relief and search and rescue operations,” Galvez said, adding that AFP has already reconfigured the use of C-130 cargo transports and S-70i “Black Hawk” helicopters during its search and rescue missions.
The AFP, he said, needs more assets to defend the country’s maritime domain, including the capability to detect submarines in the West Philippine Sea.
Austin and Galvez agreed to meet again in Washington, D.C. during the upcoming 2023 Spring Ministerial-level 2+2 meeting from 10 to 16 April.