Fact Or Fiction-Subic Bay-American Forces

[Malcolm Graham]

When I visited Subic 8 months ago there was a Submarine supply vessel and a sub docked up at the US docking facilities just by where all the monuments are.  There was also another American ship docked next to them.  

[jon1]

Yes the subs were becoming frequent visitors but never stayed in port for long

 

The sub tender was becoming a fixture there

[OnMyWay]

Yes the subs were becoming frequent visitors but never stayed in port for long

 

The sub tender was becoming a fixture there

 

I had to look up what a sub tender looks like and sure enough, those are the ones that I have seen quite often.  I have never seen a sub docked.  If there was one here 8 months ago I must have missed it.

[OnMyWay]

Here is a writeup on the mission down south.

 

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/has-operation-enduring-freedom-philippines-been-a-success 

 

I was fortunate to have been a part of it for almost 6 years (uniform and contractor). What will be interesting to see is what happens when the peace accord is signed. I am thinking that more breakaway groups will form and there will continue to be the same stuff going on as it is part of a larger agenda.

 

For some reason the original embedded link takes me to the main page, not the article.  I copied and pasted the above full address to my browser and it worked.

[OnMyWay]

Here is a writeup on the mission down south.

 

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/has-operation-enduring-freedom-philippines-been-a-success 

 

I was fortunate to have been a part of it for almost 6 years (uniform and contractor). What will be interesting to see is what happens when the peace accord is signed. I am thinking that more breakaway groups will form and there will continue to be the same stuff going on as it is part of a larger agenda.

 

Going off topic a bit...

 

Yesterday we were at a Filipino friend's house and his uncle wanted to watch a war movie, so we were scrolling through the list, and I spotted The Hunt For Eagle One.  Nobody knew what it was so he turned it on and the uncle watched it for a while.  It is about Mindinao and a chopper going down.  Probably a ripoff of Blackhawk Down.  It is probably a really bad low budget movie, but maybe worth a look.

 

I noticed in the opening credits that Roger Corman was the producer and the name rang a bell.  Look at his list of movies!

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000339/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

I'm sure everyone has seen a few of these and had a few laughs.  There are many famous actors in them, but usually when they were starting out.  He has a new one coming soon, Sharktopus Vs. Mermantula!  I can't wait!   :hystery:

[robert k]

I think Jon1 hit the nail on the head. If you pay off one group, you just create more groups with their hands out. Brings to mind the saying if you pay the Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane.

 

If they were bargaining with me for autonomy and 25% of the mineral wealth of Mindanao, they would have to eliminate the other factions, by whatever means necessary, neatly stacked pyramids of heads would be fine. If you want home rule, you have to show me you can rule because we aren't paying pretenders. Sounds harsh? It does to me too but I think nothing less will work long term. Really I think nothing will work long term but at the moment I can't think of anything more likely to work.

[Americano]

Here's the latest on the US Military being allowed to build facilities in the Philippines.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-14/philippines-to-let-u-s-build-military-facilities-on-its-bases.html?cmpid=yhoo

[Americano]

More news today:

 

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ph-limited-access-us-sites-044756655.html

[OnMyWay]

Here is a related article about how many Navy ships have visited in 2013

 

It would be interesting to know where they made port as I certainly did not see that many in Subic.  There is one here now, another sub tender, I think.  There were some crew walking around town today and certainly spending some money.

 

 

http://www.mb.com.ph/140-us-warships-visited-ph-in-2013/

140 US warships visited PH in 2013

by Elena L. Aben
March 27, 2014

 

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Even before an agreement on enhanced defense cooperation between Philippines and the United States is signed, the American presence in the country has already increased significantly over the past years.

Information obtained by the Manila Bulletin showed that in 2013, a total of 140 US Navy (USN) warships made port visits in the country. A US embassy official said the number does not include the USS George Washington battle group, which took part in relief efforts in the Visayas after super typhoon Yolanda.

Last year, USN ship visits indicated a 100 percent increase in the past five years. The figure is almost 70 percent higher than 2012.

In 2009, 71 USN ships visited different ports in the Philippines, according to data gathered from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Philippine Navy (PN). In the following year, 78 ships visited the country.

The number of USN port visits dropped to 59 in 2011, but in 2012, the figure almost doubled, reaching 95.

USN vessels making stopovers in the country include aircraft carriers, guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, amphibious transport dock ship, the US 7th Fleet flagship command ship, submarines, and submarine tender.

 

Within Existing Treaties

According to Philippine Navy (PN) public affairs officer Lt. Cdr. Gregory Fabic, the visiting USN ships are within the existing treaties and agreements the Philippine government has entered into with the US Navy and the US government.

Fabic stressed the visiting ships are always covered with diplomatic clearances.

The US government under the Obama administration announced in 2011 its rebalance to Asia with majority of its warships moving to the region.

 

Benefits Of Visits

When asked how the country benefits from USN port visits, Fabic said that “at some extent, visits were able to fortify the tie between the two countries and forge a stronger alliance and cooperation on maritime concerns.”

“During visits, there have been always subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) of both parties, enhancement of skills and capabilities thru at-sea naval exercises and in-shore training, goodwill games, community relations projects and other activities which could be an avenue for bilateral or multi-lateral engagements,” he added.

US and Philippine authorities likewise noted how the local economy benefits from every USN ship visit.

 

Port Fees And Supplies

Citing as an example the USS Pinckney that made a port visit in February this year, Capt. Brian Block, Military Public Affairs Liaison at the US Embassy in Manila, said: “For a ship like the USS Pinckney (a destroyer) with a crew of around 300, approximately a third of them will have to stay on the ship at any time for security, maintenance, etc.  That means about 200 sailors out in town – if we assume they spend $50 a day for food, lodging, entertainment, etc., for a four-day visit we’re talking about $40,000.”

“Of course not everyone spends the same so $50 is just an average and I pulled it out of thin air.  This is in addition to the port services fees the ship pays for – which for a ship the Pinckney’s size are about $100,000,” he added.

That number, Block said, does not include food and fuel supplies, the cost of which varies depending on the existing stocks when the ship pulls in.

He stressed though these are just “very, very rough estimates.”

 

Negotiations Continue

On Monday, the Philippines and US negotiating panels kicked off the seventh round of negotiations on a proposed agreement which is seen to further deepen defense cooperation between the two treaty allies.

In his opening statement, Defense Undersecretary and chair of the Philippine negotiating panel Pio Lorenzo Batino cited the “enduring alliance” between the Philippines and the US, stating that as “our partnership has evolved and our relations have matured,” both countries must continue to find ways to ensure that our alliance remains responsive to our security requirements.

Batino stressed that, “For the Philippines, our internal environment has changed as well and we need to find a new model for our security engagement.”

Batino also emphasized that the draft agreement being negotiated was a reaffirmation of “our shared commitment to the enduring alliance.”

Ambassador Eric John, chairman of the US negotiating panel, for his part, said: “I think that we’ve seen over the last many decades the effectiveness of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) but an agreement like this also proves the vibrancy of the MDT.”

The official also said the other issue that they have agreed on at the outset of negotiations was the respect for the sovereignty of the Philippines.

“And that’s a message that you made clear the very first round and that’s the message all of us took back to Washington. And it is the best spirit of respect for sovereignty and respect for long standing partnership that we entered into these negotiations,” he stressed.

This round follows the sixth round held earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

[Call me bubba]

here is a photo of subic w/ship docked (just after the eruption in 1991) http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/091914513.jpg