US F-22s land in Philippines for first time, furthering defense ties

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors landed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines last week in a move signaling increased defense efforts between the two countries.

During the exercise, U.S. pilots from the Alaska-based 525th Fighter Squadron joined aviators from the Philippine Air Force’s 5th Fighter Wing for low-altitude flyovers, air combat maneuvering, formation training, and, with help from a KC-135 Stratotanker, air-to-air refueling over the heavily contested South China Sea.

“This was the first time that F-22s, or any fifth-generation aircraft, have landed on and operated out of the Philippines,” Capt. Karl Schroeder, one of the Raptor pilots, said in a release . “This milestone with a regional ally aids in providing stability and security to the Indo-Pacific.”

Regional stability has become an increasingly glaring focus of the two militaries as threats continue to emerge out of Beijing. While the Philippine Constitution prohibits permanent basing of foreign troops, the two nations’ Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement does allow for an increased footprint of American forces by way of rotations to a handful of predetermined locations.

“The EDCA is a key pillar of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, which supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between our forces,” DoD officials said in February. “Expansion of the EDCA will make our alliance stronger and more resilient, and will accelerate modernization of our combined military capabilities.”

The EDCA includes granting U.S. forces access to a number of military camps, one of which, Basa Air Base in Pampanga on the island of Luzon, just launched a $25 million renovation of its runway in preparation to be used as a hub for joint task force exercises and humanitarian assistance, USNI news first reported .

Four other identified sites currently slated to host U.S. rotations are Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base (Cebu), Antonio Bautista Air Base (Palawan), Fort Magsaysay (Nueva Ecija), and Lumbia Air Base (Cagayan de Oro). Additional locations that have not yet been identified are expected to be unveiled in the near future.

In a separate step toward countering Chinese aggression and propaganda, the Philippine Coast Guard announced on March 8 that it would begin publicly disclosing aggressive actions taken by China in the South China Sea.

Recently released footage depicted one such incident on Feb. 6, during which a ship belonging to the China Coast Guard aimed a military laser at a Philippine vessel, briefly blinding some crew members.

The string of announcements in recent months follows a period of tension between the U.S. and the Philippines, when former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to sever military relations with Washington and cozy up to China and Russia. Duterte’s successor, Ferdinand Marcos , has worked to thaw relations, even hosting Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

Zamone “Z” Perez is a reporter at Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

上周，两架美国空军F-22猛禽战斗机降落在菲律宾克拉克空军基地，此举标志着两国加强了防务合作。

在演习期间，驻阿拉斯加的第 525 战斗机中队的美国飞行员与菲律宾空军第 5 战斗机联队的飞行员一起进行了低空飞行、空中战斗机动、编队训练，并在 KC-135 同温层加油机的帮助下，在竞争激烈的南海上空进行了空中加油。

“这是F-22战机，或者说任何第五代战机，首次在菲律宾起降，”猛禽战机飞行员之一卡尔·施罗德上尉在一份声明中表示。“与地区盟友的这一里程碑式合作有助于维护印太地区的稳定与安全。”

随着来自北京的威胁不断涌现，地区稳定已成为两国军队日益关注的焦点。尽管菲律宾宪法禁止外国军队永久驻扎，但两国签署的《加强防务合作协议》允许美军通过轮换部署的方式，在少数几个预先确定的地点增加驻军规模。

“《加强防务合作协议》（EDCA）是美菲联盟的关键支柱，它支持我们两国军队之间的联合训练、演习和互操作性，”美国国防部官员在2月份表示。“扩大EDCA将使我们的联盟更加强大和更具韧性，并将加速我们联合军事能力的现代化。”

据美国海军学会新闻报道，EDCA 包括允许美军使用多个军事营地，其中一个位于吕宋岛邦板牙省的巴萨空军基地刚刚启动了一项耗资 2500 万美元的跑道翻新工程，准备将其用作联合特遣部队演习和人道主义援助的枢纽。

目前已确定的四个美军轮换驻地分别是：麦克坦-贝尼托·埃布恩空军基地（宿务）、安东尼奥·包蒂斯塔空军基地（巴拉望）、马格赛赛堡（新怡诗夏）和卢比亚空军基地（卡加延德奥罗）。预计近期还将公布其他尚未确定的驻地。

为应对中国的侵略和宣传，菲律宾海岸警卫队于3月8日宣布，将开始公开披露中国在南海采取的侵略性行动。

最近公布的视频显示，2月6日发生了一起此类事件，当时一艘中国海警船用军用激光照射一艘菲律宾船只，导致一些船员短暂失明。

近几个月来的一系列声明，正值美菲关系紧张时期之后。此前，菲律宾前总统罗德里戈·杜特尔特曾威胁要切断与华盛顿的军事关系，转而与中国和俄罗斯走近。杜特尔特的继任者费迪南德·马科斯一直致力于缓和两国关系，甚至在去年11月接待了美国副总统卡马拉·哈里斯。

扎莫内·“Z”·佩雷斯是《军事时报》的记者。他曾就职于《外交政策》和《乌法哈姆非洲》。他毕业于西北大学，毕业论文研究国际伦理和暴行预防。他的推特账号是@zamoneperez。

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。