US adamant in using the country as a military base
US imperialism is once again pushing for the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), a wide-ranging accord that shall allow US military forces to freely come in and make use of any facility anywhere in the country whenever they want. This was admitted by no less than US Pacific Command chief Adm. Dennis Blair.
The Filipino people and even some reactionaries have junked agreements of this sort several times in the past. It will be recalled that as early as 1992, after the Philippines kicked out the military bases, US military officials immediately pushed for the ACSA. But due to ardent sentiments against its military bases, the US saw it fit to refrain from insisting on the agreement. In its stead, it signed an access agreement through the Mutual Defense Board, a committee composed of representatives from the Philippine and US military supervising the implementation of the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951. Through this access agreement, US forces were allowed to use Philippine airports and seaports and conduct small-scale military exercises in the country.
In 1994, the US intended to expand the range of the access agreement through an accord like ACSA. Based on the draft agreement, the Philippine military would be obliged to provide "logistics, supply and service support" to US military forces. Likewise, the US military would provide counterpart services to Philippine military forces. "Logistics, supply and service support" include the following: food, accommodations, transportation, petroleum, oil, lubricants, clothing, communication services, medical services, ammunition, base support (and related contruction work), storage services, training services, components and spare parts, repair and maintenance services and air- and seaport services. These are exactly the same services and support provided in the past by the Philippines inside the US military bases in the country. In reality, this type of agreement will pave the way for flexible basing by US troops in the country. It would thus be correct to state that the agreement would transform the entire Philippines into a US military base.
In addition, the agreement stipulates that the Philippines would be obliged to support US imperialism in "any situation where one party would require logistics, supply and service support". This buttresses the provisions of the MDT that automatically involve the Philippines in any war waged by or involving US imperialism, especially in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. Accordingly, the ACSA shall allow prepositioning, a tactic of US imperialism that involves the stockpiling of military equipment near countries it considers "unfriendly". This shall transform the Philippines into one big storage area for US military equipment, including nuclear weapons.
The ACSA would have been ratified through an executive agreement. But such plans were withdrawn in 1986 due to the vigorous opposition of patriotic sectors, inluding some senators critical of the agreement. Along with this, US imperialism suspended the conduct of large-scale military exercises in the Philippines.
The US-Ramos regime pretended that it was against ACSA and similar agreements to steer clear of the people's opposition. Behind the scenes, however, the regime actively campaigned for the approval of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that would grant immunity to US military forces within the country. In 1999, the senate ratified the Visiting Forces Agreement (the name had merely been changed) as directed by the US-Estrada regime. This was clearly in preparation for the US military forces to base themselves once again in the country through the ACSA. This is the only reason the country would enter into an extraterritorial agreement despite the absence of US military bases in the Philippines.
US imperialism and its puppets have yet to ratify the ACSA, but this has not prevented US military forces from freely entering and leaving the country. Despite the absence of an ACSA between the two countries, previous treaties (Mutual Defense Treaty, Access Agreement of 1993 and the VFA of 1999) guaranteed this. Though limited in scope, the Philippines has been continually providing services to US military forces. In 1993, even before the ACSA was exposed to the public, several US warships had docked at Subic for supplies and repair. In 1997, during then US President Clinton's "visit" to the Philippines, former president Ramos admitted that the Philippines had been "extending services" to US military forces and that the US had been providing some military equipment to the Philippines.
Likewise, after the VFA was signed, the US and the Philippines resumed conducting successive joint military exercises or "Joint Combined Exchange Training" (JCET). The JCET is an important component of the US' belligerent policy that supports the policy of imperialist "globalization". The Special Forces within the US military comprise the main US military units involved in these "trainings". Under the guise of such "trainings", these special units occupy themselves with gathering strategic information, from topography, the history of local leaders, the evaluation of the capability of armed forces, potential landing sites and others. Likewise, they directly train local "counter-insurgency" units and conduct intelligence operations against the revolutionary movement. Among them was the unit to which belonged the American troops ambushed by the NPA in Pampanga in June. In actuality, these "trainings" are part of the continued efforts by US imperialism to strengthen its military capability in different parts of the world.
Despite existing arrangements, it remains important for US imperialism to have an ACSA with the Philippines. The Asia-Pacific, its markets and resources are strategic to the US. Accordingly, the US has been endeavoring to place the region under its strict control. It has deployed more than 100,000 troops in the region to control the sea lanes used to transport its goods and ensure that the US could freely access the region's markets and strategic resources such as energy.
The US views the region as a potential arena of military conflict, especially in the face of China's economic ambitions. Thus, in recent years, the US has deployed more attack submarines to the Asia-Pacific, has focused more war games and strategic research projects here and has put more stress on expanding its military strength in the region. Two of the things it wants to ensure are the maintenance of its military bases in North Asia (Japan and Korea) and the flexible basing of its forces in Southeast Asia.
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