American bases in Philippines under close surveillance by China



America is now in the process of spending hundreds of millions in the fortification of its military bases inside the Philippines.

America is hastily preparing for war with China to be fought primarily from the Philippines and sometime in the next two years or sooner according to a 4-Star U.S. General and a top ranking Republican head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. Congress.


US four-star general warns of war with China in 2025


The first steps currently under way in the Philippines is the constructing of some $70 million worth of warehouses for storing supplies and weapons and training facilities for troops soon to arrive, say military sources in Washington DC.

Mactan, Philippines Jan. 25, 202325 January 2023-Sailors assigned to the Red Lancers of U.S. Patrol Squadron (VP) 10 pose for a photo with Maj. Gen. Joannis Leonardi B. Dimaano out of Mactan, Philippines. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ashley Guire


U.S. Marine walks past joint light tactical vehicles during a Balikatan drill at Naval Base Camilo Osias, Philippines, 26 March 2022. Photo credit: Madison Santamaria/U.S. Marine Corps.


Long-time reliable career military sources in Washington, sources never identified in a long defence and foreign affairs journalistic career, actually believe China will exploit American vulnerability during the run-up to the 2024 election.


Editorial note: It is less than common knowledge that China has been retaliating against the American buildup in the Philippines. This writer experienced an aggressive response to an investigation of new China-developments in the Spratly islands. An investigation was conducted in concert with a consortium of civil society members demanding the Demilitarization of the Asia Seas. Whereas the study group within which FPM.news was a guest observer, suspects there is a new-build of five new military assets in the Spratlys, there is no evidence to support that, other than the extreme reaction of the Chinese as if its topmost military secrets were at risk. (My eyes see supporting C4I (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence ops, not weapons) called in to support a weapons test from elsewhere. It is however safe to conclude that heavily cloaked surreptitious activity is taking place in the Spratley’s since September 2022 including the test firing and monitoring of missile test-launches.


America has run down its offensive weapons inventory by throwing massive quantities of weapons into Ukraine to fight Russia in the U.S./NATO proxy war—“approaching a quarter trillion dollars if the truth be known and the tanks are counted”—and some observers are suggesting that America would be running out of tactical missiles in a week if it engaged China in the current timeframe of 24 months. Additionally, there are 800 American military bases around the world which need constant supply, said one senior source.

U.S. Air Force General Michael Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, warned troops in a letter that war with China is possible in 2025. Photo credit: Isaac Olivera, Public Affairs Officer, 375th Air Mobility Wing.


Official and Unofficial U.S. Military bases in the Philippines

There are six more U.S. military unannounced Philippines locations including Subic Bay where a naval base has just been constructed.

Ahead of this development, U.S. private firm Cerberus Capital Management LP acquired a shipyard which deal concluded last year according to public records.

In addition to Subic Bay, FPM.news has learned in Manila that there are five more locations in the Philippines where America will build U.S. military facilities and preposition weapons under the 2014 Philippines/USA Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Six official Philippines locales where U.S. Armed Forces operate military bases to fight China from, include:

  1. Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan;
  2. Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu;
  3. Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga;
  4. Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija;
  5. Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro; and
  6. Subic Bay, province of Zambales, Philippines.

These machinations should be seen in the context of the global order and the question of whether or not the Philippines is contributing to or assuaging conflict?

According to the U.S. National Intel Council Global Trends 2040 report, “a key consequence of greater imbalance is greater contestation within communities, states, and the international community. This encompasses rising tensions, division, and competition in societies, states, and at the international level.

“Many societies are increasingly divided among identity affiliations and at risk of greater fracturing. Relationships between societies and governments will be under persistent strain as states struggle to meet rising demands from populations.

“As a result, politics within states are likely to grow more volatile and contentious, and no region, ideology, or governance system seems immune or to have the answers.”

Read if you wish, the full Global Trends 2040 report from which this quote is taken.

Feminine-Perspective: At the international level, the geopolitical environment, the report suggests, will be more competitively shaped by China’s challenge to the United States theory of the world order and in the imagination of America, the American-led world order. Major powers are now jockeying to establish and exploit new rules of the road. Where do you stand?

 


So, what does all this mean?

Women and children suffer most in war, and when China attacks America in the Philippines and vice versa, “Filipino kids and moms will be left to the wolves. We have seen that before,” says humanitarian team leader.

Meeting with RINJ Women‘s rights activists in the Philippines, FPM.news was told by Karinna Angeles that the global group is somewhat strained due to sizeable new operations in Iran and Ukraine but that they were stabilizing and fundraising is about to start for a mobilization in the Philippines.

“We have scouted locations for women and children shelters in the event war breaks out against China.

“By diverting from the Duterte-era foreign policy of getting along with neighbours and switching to pro-America the minute Bongbong Marcos took over Malacañang, we know we are an enemy of China, and the Chinese will bomb the hell out of us and likely invade some foothold islands taking a page from the Japanese invasion of WWII,” she continued as tears welled up in her eyes.

“This will be a horrible war and Marcos will conscript all the men. Our organization’s humanitarian role will be to shelter especially vulnerable women and children or those made homeless by munitions, from the bottom of Mindanao to the tip of Luzon near Taiwan,” she said.

“Our many years of war-zone experience tell us that we need to prepare training curriculums for nursing centers in Manila, Cebu and Baguio and start training later in 2023 and get more nurses certified for trauma work. Our system requires that we teach and certify nurse practitioners because there are far too few doctors in the Philippines and our system relies on NPs anyway. Doctors only need create our medical directives for the NPs and we will move in our best surgeons from other countries. Women and girls will need birthing clinics, rape clinics, and shelters as well as general health care,” NP Angeles added.

“Clearly the women have a handle on the issues more so than the government which is focused on junkets here and there and a bad crop of onions hence fetching imported onions with borrowed cash—add quarreling with either side of the Duterte/Marcos dynasties that control the country,” quipped RINJ Women‘s medical director Dr. Nassima al Amouri  in a Zoom call later.