Philippines gains US ship in military upgrade
The Philippines took possession of a former US Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China’s growing assertiveness in disputed waters.
The Philippines took possession of a former US Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China’s growing assertiveness in disputed waters.
The military build-up, which is heavily focused on maritime capability, is likely to add to tension over the South China Sea that has threatened to draw in the United States as it refocuses its military attention on Asia.
President Benigno Aquino and senior ministers watched as the frigate, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, sailed into the Philippines’ Subic Bay, a former US naval base, after a two-month voyage from South Carolina, where its 88 Philippine crew trained for a year.
The 46-year-old Hamilton-class cutter, the second of its type the Philippines has received from its US ally, will be used to patrol areas of the South China Sea near the Philippine coast that have become a major source of tension with Beijing.
“It’s very clear – real growth is possible only if there’s genuine stability and peace in our nation,” Aquino said in a speech, adding the country needed to “erase the image” of a poorly equipped military.