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| US eyes Clark, Subic for surveillance flights | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 10 2012, 09:20 AM (724 Views) | |
| twyxted | Jul 10 2012, 09:20 AM Post #1 |
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Trainee
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US eyes Clark, Subic for surveillance flights by Jojo Malig, ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 07/09/2012 10:19 PM | Updated as of 07/10/2012 8:01 AM MANILA, Philippines - The former Clark and Subic military bases could be used as a springboard for US military forces amid America's new push in the Asia-Pacific and the backdrop of the Philippines' territorial dispute with China, a top US official has revealed. Admiral Jonathan Greenert, US Chief of Naval Operations, told media in a Pentagon briefing on June 27 that American and Filipino forces may hold regular surveillance flights to monitor Philippine waters. "You've just mentioned Subic Bay. Clark Air Base, we -- we do maritime domain awareness flights monthly with the Philippine armed forces. That might be a potential (move)," he said. Greenert said the US also has current "access to an extraordinary number of places" in the Asia-Pacific and may look to ask for repair and supplies for US ships, aircraft, and troops visiting countries such as the Philippines. "I think in the best interest of each nation, we'll continue to -- to work on and see where that might go," he said. Greenert, meanwhile, declined to answer a question on the possibility of US troops being deployed to Philippine-held islands in the disputed Spratlys. "I'm not aware of that. I regret I can't speak on that," he said. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier said Manila was considering a US proposal to deploy surveillance aircraft to the Philippines. Reuters also quoted President Benigno Aquino as saying that he is considering asking the US to launch surveillance and monitoring flights over the West Philippine Sea. Aquino later clarified his statement, saying his administration "might" just ask for US help. The proposed surveillance flights have caught China's ire, with the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily accusing Manila of "orchestrating a plot to deliberately stir up tensions over the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea. China maritime patrol Meanwhile, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Monday that a naval patrol team deployed to the West Philippine Sea has returned from its mission. "The team, consisting of four China Marine Surveillance ships, patrolled dozens of islets and reefs in the South China Sea and conducted a formation practice near the Nansha and Zhongsha Islands in adverse weather conditions," Xinhua said. Nansha refers to the Spratlys, while Zhongsha refers to Macclesfield Bank and its many atolls, reefs and shoals -- including tightly-contested Scarborough or Panatag Shoal just off the Philippines' Zambales province. The Chinese patrol boats travelled 2,800 nautical miles in West Philippine Sea before returning to port in Guangzhou on Sunday, according to Xinhua. "The vessels reached as far as 47.5 degrees north latitude and 108.35 degrees east longitude since its departure from south China's coastal city of Sanya on June 26, said Wang Yun, captain of Haijian 83," Xinhua said. It said the China Marine Surveillance vessels are under the State Oceanic Administration and "have performed regular patrols and law-enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction since 2006." Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com |
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| Tsukiyomi | Jul 12 2012, 09:34 PM Post #2 |
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Clark and Subic would be good for amy of the assets and it does not have to be relegated to P3 aircraft. Those aircraft should be busy further out keeping eyes on hainan and other fleet movements. They should consider smaller manned ISR assets for the reefs and atolls within our EEZ. The larger, longer range assets like the P3's and modified C-130's should patrol the SCS. There are several P3 and C130 units at Kadena AB in Japan that can deploy to Luzon to assist us. Those are the same units that helped us with the ASG starting back in 2002 and both sets of airframes are trained and designed for working these types of mission sets. Having a civilian (US) asset with our EEZ conducting these flights can't be construed as an escalation. A US military asset would be turned into something provocative. If the chipigs were dumb enough to threaten or attack these assets it would be considered a major escalation that would seriously blow up in their face and kill them diplomatically and politically and again...give us and our American allies the excuse we need to nail the scumbags against the wall. Either ourselves or with some financial help from the US should use one of the many US companies that provide manned ISR to conduct these flights for us with a couple of our guys on board these flights so they are considered "joint/combined". This will also help give our guys some badly needed experience with manned ISR missions. |
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2:46 PM Jul 13