US Navy discreetly expands footprint in South China Sea with new repair facilities

The United States Navy is going to help the Philippines build a new repair and maintenance

facility. It will not be a military base, but it will help the Philippine Navy

beef up its military presence near some highly disputed waters in the South China Sea

The U.S. Embassy in Manila says the new maritime maintenance hub will be situated in the western

coastal town of Quezon in the Palawan province. The site directly faces the South China Sea

and is about 160 miles away from the 2nd Thomas Shoal, which has been a flashpoint between China

and the Philippines. Embassy officials say the project is in line with a 1951 mutual defense

treaty between the two nations and helps achieve, quote, a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific

These facilities will be near the Philippine military's Western Command, which deploys Navy

patrol vessels, surveillance ships, and military aircraft to defend the region. The shop will focus

on repairing and maintaining smaller vessels and also offers storage for equipment Once constructed it expected to enhance the Philippine military logistical ability to respond to conflicts in the area The project also provides the U with a way

of expanding its so-called low-footprint deterrence against Chinese aggression. China asserts numerous claims to the South China Sea, despite international bodies ruling against

Beijing. But that isn't stopping China from acting more aggressively. The new repair facilities are

seen as a way to help U.S. allies in the region counter the growing threat from China without the

U.S. having to get directly involved. In a separate series of projects authorized by a 2014 defense

agreement, the U.S. also built warehouses, barracks, and other structures in nine Philippine

military camps, where U.S. forces can be stationed and American weapons stored. Beijing has not

responded to the news that the U.S. Navy will help build these new facilities for Manila

but China has repeatedly accused the U.S. of secretly colluding with allies in the region

to challenge China's standing. For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app today