MANILA, Philippines —  The Armed Forces of the Philippines has confirmed the existence of US Task Force Ayungin in Palawan, saying it is operating under the AFP’s Western Command (WESCOM). “US troops in Palawan provide technical assistance through the information-sharing group within the Command and Control Fusion Center in Western Command,” AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement yesterday.

“This support enhances our capability in maritime domain awareness, a critical task that aids in planning and implementing programs and activities to protect our interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS),” he added. He gave no further details.

The public affairs office of the Joint US Military Assistance Group also declined to share more information about Task Force Ayungin.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also confirmed the activities of Task Force Ayungin, but clarified that the unit is “internal” to the US and that all military activities or operations in Ayungin Shoal and in the West Philippine Sea in general such as supply missions were solely carried out by the Philippines.

“Actually, that is internally the side of the US,” Año said of the task force’s operations.

“As for us, we remain the same and it’s the WESCOM that’s in charge,” he explained, noting that the Philippine Army, the Area Task Force West, and even the Philippine Coast Guard assist in WESCOM’s operations.

“The US task force, as you may have heard in interviews, is a US task force, meaning to say it is internal to them on how they will support the armed forces,” Año said.

He said the US Task Force Ayungin’s support for the AFP mainly covers intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and maritime domain awareness.

“But on actual direct participation, it’s purely a Philippine operation,” he stressed, adding that he does not even know when the task force came into existence.

“I think, let us put it this way. We have the US-Philippine cooperation, MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty), we have agreed actions taken for the whole year. So this is not centered just on Ayungin. All aspects of our MDT-SEB (Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board) constitute our cooperation and collaboration with the US forces,” he said. 

The US embassy said that with the Task Force Ayungin, US forces have improved their interoperability with the Philippine military, particularly in helping secure the country’s interest in the West Philippine Sea.

“Task Force-Ayungin enhances US-Philippine alliance coordination and interoperability by enabling US forces to support Armed Forces of the Philippines activities in the South China Sea,” the US embassy said through spokesman Kanishka Gangopadhyay.

“This initiative aligns with multiple lines of cooperation between US and Philippine forces, including the (MDB-SEB) process and the Bantay Dagat framework, in addition to our long-standing shared efforts to address regional challenges, foster stability, and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

It was US defense chief Lloyd Austin III who revealed – in a post on X – the existence of Task Force Ayungin during his visit last Tuesday to the WESCOM headquarters in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

“I visited the Command and Control Fusion Center in Palawan today. I also met with some American service members deployed to US Task Force Ayungin, and I thanked them for their hard work on behalf of the American people and our alliances and partnerships in this region,” he said.

Apparently, the composition of the task force includes American soldiers tasked to help the AFP in managing issues and operations in the WPS, particularly in the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

The AFP maintains an outpost in the Ayungin Shoal on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre, a decrepit World War II era transport ship. The Chinese had repeatedly tried so stop supply missions to the Sierra Madre using force like blasting Filipino boats with water cannons, ramming them, or engaging them in dangerous maneuvers.

The US, along with many other states, had repeatedly condemned such actions and behavior by the Chinese.  

In his Palawan visit, Austin stopped by the Command and Control Fusion Center and met with some US service members belonging to the Task Force Ayungin.

He also witnessed a Philippine Navy tech demonstration showcasing T-12 unmanned surface vessels.

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), meanwhile, criticized the establishment of a “combined coordination center” inside Camp Aguinaldo, calling it a de facto Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) site.

The center, part of an agreement between the Philippines and the United States, was inaugurated during the visit of Austin.

Bayan accused the Marcos administration of undermining Philippine sovereignty by agreeing to the joint military initiative and signing the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the US.

“This is a blatant act of subservience,” Bayan saidmb8 in a statement, accusing the “corrupt and treasonous” Marcos administration of surrendering the country’s security interests to the US.

Bayan also said a prerequisite to the signing of GSOMIA was allowing US officials to inspect potential military sites in the Philippines for US military use.

The agreement, Bayan said, does not have an expiration date and could be a tool for indefinite US influence in Philippines’ security policies. - Mark Ernest Villeza

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