Lawmakers say the Pentagon’s newly unlocked access to a handful of additional bases in the Philippines will boost the United States’ ability to deter Chinese aggression while deepening collaboration with a key ally in the region.
While it remains to be seen what kinds of investments those four new sites in the Philippines — on top of the five existing ones established under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement — will need to ensure they’re leveraged to their full potential, one House Armed Services member expects to see “strong bipartisan support” for funding in that area.
“In some ways, the heightened realization that China’s not fooling around with the surveillance balloon really will help the momentum for the Philippines decision,” Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said in an interview Thursday.
