Seeking to reinforce one of its regional partners amid the geopolitical competition with China—recently highlighted by the completion of the Balikatan 25 exercises—the U.S. government has announced that it will carry out upgrade works on the facilities of a key base for the deployment of the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea. According to reports, the facilities targeted for these works are those of the Oyster Bay Naval Detachment, from which patrol boats, gunboats, and replenishment assets of the host institution operate.
Expanding on the details, the U.S. government is expected to invest between 1 and 5 million dollars, which are anticipated to be sent to its Philippine counterpart during the month of June, or by July at the latest. In terms of what works will be undertaken, the U.S. statement mentions the installation of a new 5-ton gantry crane to facilitate the movement of ships, the construction of two multipurpose rooms, and improvements to the detachment’s embarkation ramp, which had been considered too steep for the vessels.
It is worth recalling that the base in question had already undergone significant modernization since the year 2020, when the construction of a large pier capable of hosting Philippine Navy landing ships began. In 2022 and 2024, satellite images were also published showing new bunkers for ammunition storage, as well as a reinforced presence of ships belonging to the Philippine Marine Corps.
Altogether, these works on the Oyster Bay Naval Detachment facilities are part of broader U.S. support in terms of platform transfers that operate from there to enhance local surveillance capabilities. A clear example of this can be found in the previous transfer of four unmanned T-12 MANTAS platforms and one Devil Ray T-38. The support of the U.S. Ayungin Task Force should also be mentioned, which is responsible for training Philippine personnel, as well as advising the force in its maritime operations.
All of this highlights the great strategic relevance that the base at Oyster Bay holds for the U.S. in its containment plan aimed at China, considering its privileged position for deployment into the South China Sea, where the Asian Giant and the Philippines maintain tense territorial disputes. So much so that during the year 2014, local Philippine media speculated about the possibility of the facilities being directly handed over to Washington, the main support that the island nation has in the face of a possible military conflict with Beijing.
Finally, focusing on other similar projects that reflect the strong bond between U.S. and Philippine forces, it is worth highlighting the former’s intentions to build a new storage facility in Subic Bay or in the Clark Freeport Zone, which will have a minimum area of 19,979 square meters—more than triple the size of its current warehouses located in the Subic Bay Naval Support Depot. According to the U.S. Navy’s plans, the leasing of the finally selected land should take place by 2026, with the agreement lasting for a period of one decade.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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