MANILA,
Philippines, July 15, 2012 – The senior U.S. commander in the Pacific
region arrived here today to reaffirm the strength of the
U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and to explore how the United
States can support efforts to boost Philippine military capacity.
Navy
Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, arrives
in the Philippines to meet with senior military officials in Manila,
July 15, 2012. The United States and the Philippines share a Mutual
Defense Treaty, and the two nations work closely together through
bi-lateral and multi-lateral training to enhance interoperability. U.S.
Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Danny Hayes (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
|
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, paying his first visit here since
taking command at U.S. Pacific Command in March, is slated to meet with
President Benigno S. Aquino III, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, Gen. Jessie Dellosa, for talks to
center on maritime and regional security issues.
Locklear told
American Forces Press Service during the flight here that he looks
forward to building on the historic U.S.-Philippine bilateral defense
relationship that marked its 60th anniversary last year.
The
admiral recalled his days as a young Navy officer when the United States
had a large presence at Subic Bay and U.S. military members worked
closely with their Filipino counterparts. Although the U.S. footprint in
the Philippines has changed significantly over the years, he said, the
trust and collaboration established between the two nations hasn’t.
That foundation will be important, he said, as the United States helps
the Filipino military transition from an army-centric, internally
focused organization into one able to draw on more joint capabilities to
address regional challenges.
“Now, as the security environment
changes, many countries recognize that there has got to be more maritime
domain awareness [and] more understanding of what is happening around
them rather than [just] what is happening internally,” he said. “So what
we are looking for is to try to provide [the Philippines] assistance
that builds the interoperability of our defense forces over time.”
The United States isn’t alone in this endeavor, the admiral said,
noting that other regional allies and partners are invested as well,
recognizing that the broad challenges across the Asia-Pacific region
demand strong multilateral cooperation.
Among those challenges
are tense maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines,
China, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam all claim portions of the contested
waterways. The Philippines and China are currently locked in a naval
standoff, with both claiming ownership of the contentious Scarborough
Shoal. That dispute reached a new level just before Locklear’s arrival
as a Chinese naval frigate ran aground about 70 miles off the
Philippines’ western coast. The incident was resolved peacefully as the
Chinese freed the stranded vessel earlier today.
Locklear,
speaking with reporters in Australia before that latest development,
said the United States doesn’t take sides in territorial disputes and
encourages peaceful resolution through international legal processes. He
warned, however, of excessive maritime claims that cause friction among
neighbors, and if not resolved, could lead to “miscalculation” that
threatens stability.
During his meetings with Filipino military
and political leaders, Locklear said he’ll seek ways to expand the
U.S.-Philippine military-to-military relationship in ways that promote
regional stability and security.
“On the military side, a
productive alliance requires us to be able to work together, to have
connectivity with each other, to be able to share information, and to be
able to bring our military systems together in a meaningful way across
all aspects of military power -- whether it’s humanitarian assistance
and disaster relief or a contingency or otherwise,” he said.
“I’m
looking forward to giving the message to the Filipino military and to
the leaders there that the United States is a very reliable ally,” he
said. “We want the Filipinos to be a reliable ally to us as well.”
Locklear said he will reinforce the message of U.S. commitment that
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made
during his visit here in June.
Dempsey and Defense Secretary Leon E.
Panetta had delivered the same message days before that visit when they
met with Gazmin and Dellosa at the annual Shangri-La regional security
summit in Singapore.
That discussion followed U.S.-Philippine
“Two Plus Two” talks in Washington in April. Panetta, Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gazmin and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario met for what Panetta called “very successful”
sessions about expanding the alliance.
Locklear said he looks
forward on building on this momentum in ways that deepen engagement
between the two countries and identify ways they can work together to
support common security goals.
“This is a reaffirmation that the
Mutual Defense Treaty is still in place and still strong,” the admiral
said of his visit here. “And it is an opportunity for us to find places
and missions were we can partner and exercise together in a way that
will increase our overall security cooperation and increase security in
this critical part of the Asia-Pacific.”
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Donna Miles | American Forces Press Service | July 15, 2012 | Article Link
