|
The
upcoming visit of newly appointed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to
the Philippines on March 28-29 undeniably exposes Marcos Jr. as the
preferred puppet of US imperialism in advancing its Indo-Pacific
Strategy. Hegseth’s visit is not a benign gesture – it is a calculated
move in Washington’s ongoing campaign to contain and provoke China,
setting the stage for an inevitable escalation of conflict that will
drag the Philippines into a war that ultimately serves US interests.
Notably, the US chose to begin its Indo-Pacific tour in the Philippines –
skipping the customary visit to South Korea – which clearly signals the
Trump administration’s plans to continue the same warmongering policy
of his predecessors against China.
This
visit is part of an expansive military agenda that includes the
resumption of the Balikatan exercises on April 21 – May 9 this year. The
Balikatan exercises 2025 are scheduled to take place in key strategic
locations: Northern Luzon, territories nearest to Taiwan, and the West
Philippine Sea, where longstanding maritime tensions with China have
persisted. Additional exercises are set to take place in Bulacan,
Zambales and in Nueva Ecija. By staging these operations in strategic
areas, Washington intends to send a provocative signal to Beijing,
further escalating tensions.
Just
days ahead of the US Defense secretary’s visit, the Philippine and US
militaries launched joint military exercises with 5,000 troops laying
bare the aggressive nature of Hegseth’s agenda. This weeks-long
operation serves as an opening salvo to the Balikatan exercises.
Contrary to US claims, these military drills are not about safeguarding
the Philippines’ territorial integrity, but about advancing US
warfighting capabilities and establishing a permanent military foothold
in the Indo-Pacific. Hegseth’s itinerary also includes meetings with his
counterpart Gilberto Teodoro in Manila, and visits to treaty ally
Japan.
This
year's Balikatan exercises will see the participation of 10,000 US
troops alongside 6,000 soldiers from the Philippines, Australia, and
Japan, with additional forces from Canada, France, South Korea, and the
United Kingdom. While the overall troop count is slightly lower compared
to the 17,600 seen in 2023, the focus of the drills this year has
shifted towards showcasing greater military firepower. The Philippine
Air Force is set to deploy its recently acquired Spyder mobile air
defense systems from Israel, while the Philippine Navy is slated to test
an array of advanced munitions—including the Rafael Spike NLOS, South
Korean C-Star surface-to-surface missiles, and French-made Mistral 3
surface-to-air systems—in a full battle test that features live-fire
missile trials and the deliberate sinking of a decommissioned World War
II vessel.
Hegseth’s
visit also seeks to push for the “modernization” of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines. In reality, this is part of a broader strategy to
transform the AFP into an auxiliary force of the US military in the
event of an all-out war with China. While the maritime dispute with
China remains fundamentally a territorial and resource issue, it pales
in comparison to the pervasive US control over Philippine economy,
culture, politics and military which poses a far more insidious threat.
Hegseth’s plans to deepen security ties with the Philippine reactionary
government not only further entrenches US control over the country’s
defense but also further implicates the US in Marcos Jr.’s ongoing war
crimes, including indiscriminate bombings and military attacks on
civilian communities under the guise of “counterinsurgency” operations.
The
NDFP stands with the Filipino people in opposing Hegseth’s visit and
against the continued subjugation of the Philippines to US military
interests. Allowing US troops to conduct military operations disguised
as training on Philippine soil is unacceptable. Amidst these war
exercises, revolutionary forces will continue to defend civilian
communities affected by these military operations. We call for the
rejection of all US military agreements, the removal of foreign troops
and bases, and an end to the use of the country as a pawn in a brewing
inter-imperialist war.
NDFP International Office |
No comments:
Post a Comment