US bases in the Philippines: issues and implications

Abstract

The United States maintains in the Philippines its most significant military presence - in terms of bases, facilities, forces and capabilities - in the Southeast Asian and Southwest Pacific region. The bases are designed to support US military operations not just in this region but also in Northeast Asia and throughout the Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf region. The Military Bases Agreement (MBA) between the United States and the Philippines expires in September 1991. There is a very real possibility that the Agreement will not be renewed and that the US will have to vacate the bases and dismantle the facilities. This monograph is intended to provide a basis for informed discussion of issues involved in the presence of the US bases and facilities in the Philippines and their possible closure and relocation elsewhere in the region. It includes discussion of the general political relationship between the United States and the Philippines; the current Philippine domestic political issues; the attitudes of the ASEAN countries; the various redeployment options available to the United States in the region; and the strategic and political implications of the bases issue for Australia.