US reaffirms ‘ironclad’ commitment to PH after West Philippine Sea incident

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd | Austin Agence France Presse
MANILA, Philippines — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reaffirmed his country’s “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines after the violent June 17 incident in the West Philippine Sea, notably without mentioning the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the readout on June 26 (Wednesday) phone conversation between Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Teodoro and Austin held this conversation following the June 17 incident in a naval outpost grounded in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, which saw the most violent actions of China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel so far. The Philippine military deemed this incident as “looting” of its disassembled high-powered guns and even caused the thumb amputation of one of its naval personnel.
READ: PH must ‘do more’ than protest China actions in West Philippine Sea – Marcos
“Secretary Austin reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to the Philippines,” the Pentagon readout stated.
Article continues after this advertisementAustin also stressed the “continued support” of Washington to Manila in defending its sovereign rights, with the two officials also discussing preserving the freedom of navigation rights of all nations, according to the readout.
Article continues after this advertisementBoth officials then reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the alliance of both nations in support of their “shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
They said this would be realized by enhancing the capability of the Filipino armed forces as well as investing in America’s “rotational force posture” under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows Washington to deploy troops and store equipment inside Manila’s military bases.
READ: Pentagon: China’s actions may trigger ‘something bigger, more violent’
As of Thursday, the Philippines’ Department of National Defense (DND) has yet to release its version of the readout.
Unlike in previous readouts of Teodoro and Austin’s phone conversation held after critical incidents in the West Philippine Sea, there was no mention of the Mutual Defense Treaty this time.
The Pentagon’s readout of Teodoro and Austin’s phone conversation on March 27 explicitly reiterated the bilateral defense pact. This virtual meeting was in response to the CCG’s water cannon assault during the Ayungin Shoal resupply on March 23, which led to injuries of three Philippine Navy personnel. Manila’s military considered this the “worst” escalation by Beijing before the June 17 incident.
“He (Austin) emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and reiterated that the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to both countries’ armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the Pacific, to include the South China Sea,” the March 27 readout stated.
After critical incidents in the West Philippine Sea, Teodoro and Austin have consistently mentioned the Mutual Defense Treaty in every phone conversation they have had since Teodoro’s appointment as DND chief in June last year.
Signed on August 30, 1951, the Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington calls for each other’s defense in case of an armed attack.
Nevertheless, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the June 17 incident in Ayungin Shoal could not yet be deemed an armed attack, which, once considered to be such, would invoke the treaty in a move that would lead Washington’s direct confrontation with Beijing.
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