The United States Pacific Command has deployed four airborne electronic attack aircraft to beef up its force which consists of five A-10C Thunderbolt aircraft and three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters already stationed at Clark Air Base, the headquarters of the 1st Division of the Philippine Air Force based in Pampanga, according to a statement released Thursday by the US Embassy in Manila.
“At the direction of the US Pacific Commander and with the approval of the Government of the Philippines, the United States stood up an air contingent in April 2016 to promote interoperability and US-Philippines security cooperation,” it said.
This was happening as Manila was expecting a favorable decision from the Permanent Court of Arbitration on its arbitral case challenging the unilateral imposition by Beijing of its “nine-dash line” claiming up to 90 percent of the disputed sea and intruding into the exclusive economic zone of Manila and other claimant-nations such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
The embassy said the new deployment is meant to enhance interoperability with the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its newly acquired lead-in jet fighters FA-50 “Golden Eagle” from South Korea.
“As part of this contingent, the US Navy sent a detachment of EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft to Clark Air Base on June 15, where it will train with Armed Forces of the Philippines FA 50 aircraft pilots,” the embassy said.
The AFP has ordered 12 units of the lead-in jet fighters worth P18.9 billion from manufacturer Korean Aerospace Inc. as part of the PAF’s program to modernize its aerial capability.
The deployed EA-18G Growlers contingent has 120 personnel assigned to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. This is in addition to the 200 personnel deployed for the A-10C Thunderbolt aircraft and Hawk helicopters contingent.
“In addition to these bilateral training missions, Growler aircraft will support routine operational missions that enhance regional maritime domain awareness,” the embassy explained.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines offered to host the US Air Contingent at Clark Air Base for the duration of their mission for the purposes of training the AFP’s FA 50 pilots and its support units for TDO, specifically on Maritime Security Operations. Clark Air Base is the home of the FA 50 and its pilots in training. Placing the US Air Contingent at this base gives the AFP an opportunity to train with US servicemen on Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance [C4ISR],” it added.
“The U.S. Air Contingent training with the AFP is part of the Mutual Defense Board Activities agreed upon by the Philippine and US governments as part of Maritime Domain Awareness and the promotion of interoperability between both nations’ armed forces,” it added.
The US deployment of aircraft and personnel in the country is obviously part of the PH-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement aimed to deter China’s aggressive military expansion with the purpose of controlling the $5 trillion economic sea lane and counter US pivot in Asia.
