Global inter-imperialist conflicts are now being intensified by US imperialism. The US imperialist government recently declared its so-called “deterrence strategy” against “China’s aggression” in the South China Sea, purportedly to “achieve peace through strength” and “avoid war.”

The declaration was made by US Defense Sec.Pete Hegseth during his visit to the Philippines in late March. Philippine President Marcos and his officials, led by Defense Sec.Gilbert Teodoro, couldn’t help but wag their tails, and offered the US to use the country for its strategy. This came after they were assured by the US that it would continue plans to provide $500 million in military aid.

Days later, upon US orders, Gen. Romeo Brawner, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), announced that the AFP would expand its operations beyond the northernmost island of Mavulis in Batanes. He ordered the Northern Luzon Command to prepare for a possible “invasion of Taiwan.” In truth, the US just wants more Filipino soldiers be deployed in the said area to serve as backup helpers to American troops that will be stationed near Taiwan.

The Filipino people should strongly reject and fight against the Marcos regime for allowing the country to be used by US in its imperialist strategy, and to be dragged into US military operations. This will only result in the increased presence of US troops, warships, and war matériel in the Philippines, just like what the US is doing in Japan, South Korea, and other countries. This is aimed at intensifying US preparations and provocations for war in the Asia-Pacific region, in line with its strategic goal of “containing” China’s growing power.

The US imposition of its strategy tramples on Philippines sovereignty. It shackles the Philippines to US plans and deprives the country of its ability to make its own foreign policy decisions. By leaning towards US military plans, Marcos is closing off other possible paths, particularly the peaceful and diplomatic approach, to address conflicts with China for mutual benefit. Despite putting at risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, Marcos and the AFP are now following US plans to heighten tensions in Taiwan in an attempt to provoke China into making an aggressive military move.

Marcos is allowing the US to tighten its control over the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through joint trainings that make the AFP subordinate to American troops and dependent on US military supplies. They claim to be “partners” with the AFP, but in reality, the US is using the AFP as pawns in its strategy to impose its hegemonic power in Asia.

The US’s “deterrence strategy” is just a pretext to justify the deployment of its military forces around the world. Instead of preventing war, it only increases the possibility of conflict. History shows that the US’s aggressive deployment of military forces and weapons in eastern Ukraine, under the guise of deterring Russian expansionism, instead provoked war in 2022.

This is only driving an arms race, where more and more public resources are being wasted on the development and production of weapons, instead of being allocated to essential social services.

The US’s “deterrence” policy is part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy to encircle China with military force, particularly in the seas to its eastern coast. This strategy will only lead to increased military tension in the South China Sea and other parts of the region, as China tries to counter US actions by deploying its own naval and coastal forces. The possibility of miscalculation that could lead to armed conflict is growing.

The US is using the Philippines as a major military base for the forward-deployment of offensive weapons. Last year, the US deployed the Typhon missile system in northern Luzon. The system was secretly transferred to another location, and is feared to be in one of the Batanes islands. In the upcoming Balikatan war exercises, which will be participated in by up to 10,000 American troops, the US plans to deploy the NMESIS (Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System), an anti-ship missile system that can fire missiles up to 185 kilometers away. The US Navy also plans to bring and use “unmanned surface vehicles” in the Philippines.

According to Hegseth’s statements, the US under the Trump government plans to shift its focus to Asia, including the Middle East, and transfer more forces from Europe. This is one of the reasons why Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine so that it can focus on other areas.

Facing this situation, the Filipino people should unite and strongly express their patriotic cry to break free from US military control. This control is in the form of the presence of thousands of American troops in US military bases in the Philippines, the use of the country for continuous and uninterrupted war exercises, the deployment of weapons in EDCA sites, the provision of military aid to the AFP’s bombing and strafing campaign against the NPA and the peasant masses, and dictating the “AFP modernization” program, that obliges the AFP to buy equipment only from the US, making it more dependent on the US.

The Filipino people should strongly protest against the planned Balikatan war games, which will further drag the country into the imperialist conflict between the US and China. They should push for the demilitarization of the South China Sea and the resolution of maritime disputes through peaceful dialogue. The people should stand for the immediate dismantling of military bases, the withdrawal of all American troops, the scrapping of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and all unequal military treaties, and the end of military aid to the fascist and puppet Marcos regime.