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The U.S. is deploying advanced missile systems, conducting complex exercises, and upgrading bases in the Philippines to deter China.
The U.S. military is expanding its presence across the Philippines with advanced missile deployments, complex exercises and base upgrades, reviving a footprint that ended in 1992 when the naval base at Subic Bay was handed over to the Philippines. Washington is scattering forces across the Pacific to convince China that using military force against Taiwan would be too costly, according to The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. under secretary for policy Elbridge Colby said Monday in Manila that Washington is making Asia its top defense priority and strengthening a 'deterrence by denial' posture along the First Island Chain, while a leading defense analyst warned that American bases across the Pacific remain vulnerable to missile and drone attacks. Colby, on his first official trip to Southeast Asia, said the United States is 'digging in' to ensure a favorable balance of power and expects allies to assume greater responsibility for their own security.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on Wednesday, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific while acknowledging the need for the two superpowers to maintain a working relationship.