ZAMBOANGA CITY – United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III flew to the southern Philippines, a hotbed of Muslim and communist insurgencies, where a small number of American counterterrorism soldiers are deployed.
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| Photo released by the Western Mindanao Command shows U.S. Defense Chief Lloyd Austin meeting with senior Philippine security officials in Zamboanga City on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. (Mindanao Examiner) |
Austin, accompanied by U.S. Embassy and American military officials, met with senior Filipino security commanders led by the Chief of Staff of the Philippine armed forces Gen. Andres Centino and Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, chief of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
No reporters were allowed to cover Wednesday’s visit, February 1, but a statement released by the Western Mindanao Command said Austin had a conference with Filipino officials which focused on strengthening mutual cooperation and establishing a good relationship between the Philippine military and the newly deployed members of the United States of America’s Special Operations Task Force 511.2 (SOTF 511.2).
It said Austin also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to support its allies in their campaigns against terrorism and in sustaining peace in their respective areas of responsibility.
Filipino forces continue to battle several Muslim extremist groups allied with the Islamic State and the communist rebellion in many parts of the region of Mindanao.
American soldiers had in the past assisted Philippine troops in the battalion level and provided intelligence and counterterrorism training to Filipino infantrymen, especially in the restive provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, including in Maguindanao, a stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Dawlah Islamiya and other IS groups harboring foreign terrorists.
Before flying back to Manila, Austin also inspected the headquarters of SOTF 511.2 located inside Western Mindanao Command and met with American soldiers.
Galido said he welcomed the visit of Austin and vowed close cooperation with the U.S. in an effort to defeat terrorism and insurgency in the South. “Team WestMinCom is grateful and fortunate enough to be visited by the US Secretary of Defense. This shows how strong is our working relationship and how committed our most powerful ally is to help us in addressing our security issues here in the southern part of the Philippines.”
“As the commander of the most diverse unified command of the Armed forces of the Philippines, I am deeply elated by their gestures of support in our campaign against terrorism and insurgency in our area of operation,” he said.
Austin visited the Philippines to ensure U.S. access to four more locations under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement dating to 2014, allowing the Pentagon to deploy or rotate American troops to a total of nine bases throughout the country.
He also had a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, promising to help the Philippines modernize its defense capabilities as well as increase the interoperability of American and Filipino military forces.
“From defense perspective, we will continue to work together with our great partners and to build and modernize your capabilities as well as increase our interoperability,” Austin said.
Marcos said he sees the future of the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific tied up with the United States because of the Philippines’ and the region’s strong and historic partnership with the US.
“And again, I have always said that it seems to me that the future of the Philippines and, for that matter, the Asia Pacific will always have to involve the United States simply because those partnerships are so strong and so historically embedded in our common psyches that can only be an advantage to both our countries,” Marcos said.
“So thank you once again for coming to visit with us and to give us the opportunity to discuss with you and through you, the American government, our own outlook on this situation as it stands at the present,” he added.
Marcos thanked Austin for visiting the Philippines amid a very complicated situation in the region to exchange some ideas, thoughts and information with him on the current situation in the Asia-Pacific.
The Philippines, Marcos said, can only navigate properly in this environment with the help of its partners and allies in the international sphere. “As we traverse these rather troubled waters — geopolitical waters, the economic waters — that we are facing, I again put great importance on those partnerships, specifically with the United States… all partnerships and alliances that we are able to make with our friends around the world,” Marcos said.
Both countries also announced plans to accelerate the full implementation of the EDCA and the substantial completion of the projects in the existing agreed locations.
The EDCA is a key pillar of the U.S.-Philippine Alliance, which supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between our forces. Expansion of the EDCA will make the alliance stronger and more resilient, and will accelerate modernization of our combined military capabilities.
The U.S. said it has allocated over $82 million toward infrastructure investments at the existing five sites under the EDCA, and is proud that these investments are supporting economic growth and job creation in local communities. (Mindanao Examiner)
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