The recent close encounter between China and the Philippines near Ren’ai Reef (Second Thomas Shoal) has once again heightened tensions in the South China Sea. According to reports, the US military has rotated its MQ-9A drones at Basa Air Base northwest of Manila to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and support for intelligence sharing between the US and Philippine military.
USNI News reported that the US Marine Corps’ 1st Expeditionary Force confirmed that, at the request of Manila authorities, the US military has been rotating the MQ-9A “Reaper” unmanned reconnaissance aircraft at Basa Air Base in the Philippines since this spring to support intelligence sharing between the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Philippine military.
A spokesperson for the US Marine Corps’ 1st Expeditionary Force stated, “The Marine Corps will use unarmed MQ-9A drones to provide reconnaissance and monitoring, in compliance with Philippine laws, rules, and regulations, to support the development of intelligence sharing between the US and our Philippine allies.”
Although the Philippines’ 1987 Constitution prohibits foreign countries from establishing military bases and permanently stationing troops within its territory, the US and Philippines signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in 2014, allowing the US to arrange for more military personnel to rotate through the Philippines, share Philippine military bases, and construct military facilities.
Basa Air Base, located northwest of Manila, serves as the main air defense base for the Philippine capital’s defense and is one of the nine military bases in the Philippines open for use by US forces.
The Pacific Air Forces of the US announced in March that the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) mission at Basa Air Base was crucial to providing logistical support for the US Marine Corps’ MQ-9A drones stationed there.
USNI News reported that during the mission, the US Pacific Air Forces deployed five sorties to the South China Sea to support “critical maritime domain awareness and monitor the Second Thomas Shoal,” marking a milestone in representing the Philippines’ opposition to China’s territorial ambitions in the region.
After USNI News inquired about the deployment of MQ-9A drones to the US Marine Corps, the US Department of Defense website removed the news release.
The US Marine Corps did not specify how many MQ-9A drones were deployed at Basa Air Base or how long the rotation deployment would last.
In fact, during a visit to Basa Air Base on April 11, Central News Agency reporters witnessed a US Marine Corps MQ-9A drone on the airport runway during the “Cope Thunder” exercise between the US and Philippine Air Forces.
The renovation of Basa Air Base is the largest infrastructure improvement project invested by the US in the Philippines to date, which has completed runway repairs, expansions, humanitarian aid and disaster relief warehouses, and other constructions to provide larger aircraft with greater maneuvering spaces, thereby enhancing the cooperative combat capabilities between the US, the Philippines, and their allies.
According to the new US budget documents, the US plans to invest in expanding the Basa Air Base apron to accommodate over 20 aircraft and refurbishing the base’s command and control center.
The report noted that the US military has deployed drones to the Philippines multiple times to support Manila’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
When the Philippines’ military resupplied at Ren’ai Reef last summer, a US Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone from Edwin Andrews Air Base in southern Philippines was found to have flown over the reef where the stranded warship was located.
The US military drones stationed at Edwin Andrews Air Base often conduct counterterrorism missions such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Pacific Eagle in the Philippines and the surrounding regions.
In 1999, Manila intentionally ran aground the World War II-era landing ship “Sierra Madre” on Ren’ai Reef and stationed troops there to assert actual control, necessitating regular supply deliveries.
Recent accusations from Chinese state media claim that during the resupply of “Sierra Madre” on May 19, Philippine military personnel on board pointed guns at Chinese coast guard officers.
However, Manila rebutted the allegations, stating that the Chinese coast guard approached within 5 to 10 meters of the “Sierra Madre,” seized the airdropped supplies in front of Philippine soldiers, and the military personnel on board carried guns for caution and self-defense.
Tensions have been escalating between Manila and Beijing over sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, with Chinese coast guard vessels repeatedly spraying strong water cannons at Philippine supply ships trying to reach Ren’ai Reef, resulting in damage to Philippine vessels and injuries to seven military personnel.
In 1951, Manila and Washington signed the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), promising that in the event of an armed attack on either party’s homeland or on territories, armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific region, both sides would take joint action.
(Source: Central News Agency)