Eyeing China, Philippines gains U.S. ship in military upgrade

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

http://news.yahoo.com/eyeing-china-philippines-gains-u-ship-military-upgrade-072037911.html http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/d/0c/d0c3eb8ca18907492a4b337b5cec5193.jpeg (http://www.reuters.com/) <cite class="byline vcard top-line">Manuel Mogato <abbr>3 hours ago</abbr> </cite> Politics (http://news.yahoo.com/politics-and-government/)Military (http://news.yahoo.com/military-and-defense/)Philippines (http://www.yahoo.com/topic/philippines/)China (http://news.yahoo.com/china-3/)

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<!-- google_ad_section_start --> By Manuel Mogato
SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines took possession of a former U.S. Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters.
The military build-up, which is heavily focused on maritime capability, is likely to add to tension over the South China Sea that has threatened to draw in the United States as it refocuses its military attention on Asia.
President Benigno Aquino and senior ministers watched as the frigate, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, sailed into the Philippines' Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base, after a two-month voyage from South Carolina, where its 88 Philippine crew trained for a year.
The 46-year-old Hamilton-class cutter, the second of its type the Philippines has received from its U.S. ally, will be used to patrol areas of the South China Sea near the Philippine coast that have become a major source of tension with Beijing.
President Benigno Aquino salutes as he arrives to take part in an arrival ceremony for the newly acq …
China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim the entire South China Sea while Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines have partial claims on areas believed to have rich deposits of oil and natural gas.
Last year, China added to Manila's alarm by occupying the Scarborough Shoal just 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast, following a tense stand-off with Philippine vessels.
The Philippines received the latest cutter for free under Washington's foreign military financing program, but spent about $15 million to upgrade its weapons and radar systems.
General Emmanuel Bautista, head of the 130,000-member armed forces, said the ship would make "a big contribution" to efforts to secure Philippine territorial waters against intrusions.
"We want to improve our maritime domain awareness so that we know what is going on around us and also be able to respond to some contingencies," Bautista told Reuters in an interview.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-newsbreak-us-philippines-open-troops-talks-115331804.html AP NewsBreak: US, Philippines to open troops talks...
<button class="done-btn" data-rapid_p="6">Done</button>


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.View gallery

</figure>FILE--In this Oct. 23, 2011 file photo, Philippine marines storm the beach with their counterparts from the U.S. Marines Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa, Japan, during the annual joint military exercise dubbed PHIBLEX (RP-US Amphibious Landing Exercise) at San Antonio, Zambales province northwest of Manila, Philippines. The Philippines and the U.S. will soon start negotiating the terms of a larger but temporary U.S. military presence in the country - which Manila hopes would deter what it says are China's aggressive intrusions in disputed waters, and Americans could use as a key foothold to reassert their dominance in booming Asia. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/04/21/image001-png_162613.png (http://www.ap.org/) <cite class="byline vcard top-line">JIM GOMEZ <abbr>1 hour ago</abbr> </cite> Military (http://news.yahoo.com/military-and-defense/)Politics (http://news.yahoo.com/politics-and-government/)Philippines (http://www.yahoo.com/topic/philippines/)United States (http://www.yahoo.com/topic/united-states/)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Damn, almost looks like I know what I'm talking about , huh? --;)-Tyr


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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials say they will soon begin negotiations with the United States on a larger American military presence to help deter what they say is increasing Chinese aggression in Philippine-claimed waters in the South China Sea.
In a letter to Philippine congressional leaders, the secretaries of national defense and foreign affairs said that allowing American troops to have an "increased rotational presence" will help the country attain a "minimum credible defense" to guard its territory while it struggles to modernize its own military, one of Asia's weakest.
A larger American presence would also mean more resources and training for responding to disasters in a nation often battered by typhoons and earthquakes, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in their letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday.
"The Philippines will shortly enter into consultations and negotiations with the United States on a possible framework agreement that would implement our agreed policy of increased rotational presence," Gazmin and del Rosario said.
U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.
The presence of foreign troops is a sensitive issue in the Philippines, a former American colony. The Philippine Senate voted in 1991 to close down major American bases at Subic and Clark, near Manila.
The Philippine Constitution forbids foreign troops from being permanently based in the country, but the Senate ratified a 1999 pact with the United States that allows temporary visits by American forces.
Gazmin and del Rosario assured lawmakers that any new accord with Washington "will be consistent with our constitution."
Several of China's neighbors have been alarmed by Beijing's recent assertiveness in claiming large areas of the South China Sea.
Manila's desire to bolster its external defense and security has dovetailed with Washington's intention to pivot away from years of heavy military engagement in the Middle East to Asia, where it has been fostering closer economic and military alliances with countries such as the Philippines, partly as a counterweight to China's rising clout.
The realignment of American forces in the Asia-Pacific also involves the deployment of up to 2,500 U.S. Marines in northern Australia and the stationing of U.S. combat vessels in Singapore.

[aboutime]

Good to see the Philippines finally joining in their own protection.
However. That ship (white) is a former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. Very limited in capability, and
restricted by it's elderly power plant, and more than 30 year old interior.

Our Army actually has larger, more capable, older ships than that.

In fact. Few people actually know. The U.S. Army has More ships than our Navy.

[logroller]

Good to see the Philippines finally joining in their own protection.
However. That ship (white) is a former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. Very limited in capability, and
restricted by it's elderly power plant, and more than 30 year old interior.

Our Army actually has larger, more capable, older ships than that.

In fact. Few people actually know. The U.S. Army has More ships than our Navy.
We did give it to them... so, you know, dont look a gift horse in the mouth. But that is interesting about the size of army's fleet of ships. Kinda makes sense though, given all the logistics necessary to move men, machine and supplies around the globe. Makes me curious about the army's number of aircraft comparable to the Air Force. Does the air national guard fall under the army, you know, if called up by the Pres/Congress?

[Gaffer]

We did give it to them... so, you know, dont look a gift horse in the mouth. But that is interesting about the size of army's fleet of ships. Kinda makes sense though, given all the logistics necessary to move men, machine and supplies around the globe. Makes me curious about the army's number of aircraft comparable to the Air Force. Does the air national guard fall under the army, you know, if called up by the Pres/Congress?

Air National Guard is placed under the Air Force. When the army needs air support they call in the Air Force. It's been a long time for me but I believe the army still has a large contingent of supply planes, C-120, C-130, C-140 on up. And tactical strikes are mostly with helicopters. Tho the warthogs are used extensively. The biggest share of boats and planes in the army are for logistic purposes.