By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday the departure of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) from the Pacific will not affect any planned activities between Filipino and American military units.
“(As) far as the Philippines is concerned, the movement of a carrier battle group from INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command) to the Middle East will not affect the MDB-SEB (Mutual Defense Board – Security Engagement Board) activities for this year. In fact, we are already in the middle of the year, we’re past the middle of the year. A lot of the activities have already been conducted,” AFP spokesperson for the WPS, Navy reservist Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Earlier reports said the USS George Washington and its battle group will relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorts, which have been on extended deployment to the Middle East since early this year, following US operations against Iran.
Trinidad said the defense commitment between the Philippines and the US “is ironclad.”
“We do not foresee any dip or any slowing down in our MDB-SEB activities,” he said.
Trinidad explained that “historically, the pulling out of any particular capability from the INDOPACOM, (such as) the PACOM (Pacific Command) theater, will always be replaced when the contingencies in the other parts of the globe have subsided.”
He also noted that “naval capabilities and naval power are designed to be expeditionary.”
He also parried questions on what a prolonged absence of US naval power can do, especially now that China is starting to flex its muscle in the South China Sea, and there is no information regarding the USS George Washington’s replacement in the Pacific.
“Three points. Number one, we don’t speculate on possibilities. Number two, the defense and security of the country is provided primarily by your Armed Forces. Number three, we have support from other partners, allies, and like-minded nations (such as) Australia, Japan, New Zealand, when it comes to protecting international law in this part of the globe,” Trinidad said. (PNA)
