NEWS

By Aaron-Matthew Lariosa | USNI News | August 9, 2024

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron take off to participate in a maritime strike during Exercise Balikatan 24 at Basa Air Base, Philippines May 8, 2024. US Marine Corps Photo

The Pentagon awarded a $32 million contract to upgrade an airfield in the Philippines as part of a broader U.S. program to upgrade and improve Manila’s military bases.

Funded under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a plan to counter China throughout the Indo-Pacific through the construction of infrastructure and investment into regional partners, Basa Air Base is set to receive a 625,000-square-foot parking apron capable of hosting up to 20 aircraft. The contract stated that the project aimed to strengthen the infrastructure at the base, which was deemed to be insufficient for training activities between the U.S. and Philippine forces.

According to the award, Acciona CMS Philippines LLC prevailed over four other proposals for the construction of a parking apron, shoulders, and taxiway at Basa. Funding for the project comes from the Air Force’s fiscal year 2021 and 2024 military construction budgets, coming in at $3.5 million and $29.4 million respectively. The award further added that the airfield upgrade is set to be completed by July 2026.

This project is the latest in a long line of investments by the U.S. into the Philippine Air Force’s primary airfield. Traditionally home to the country’s fighter squadrons, Basa has been earmarked for numerous projects through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The 2014 defense treaty permits the U.S. to access Philippine military bases for rotational troop deployments and the construction of facilities at Manila’s discretion. Originally covering five military bases across the Philippine archipelago, the agreement was expanded to nine in 2023. Of the $82 million invested into EDCA sites between 2014 and 2023, $66 million has been used for projects at Basa. These projects include a humanitarian assistance warehouse, runway renovation and command facilities.

USNI News previously reported that the Marine Corps deployed unarmed MQ-9A Reaper drones to Basa to “provide reconnaissance and surveillance in support of the development of intelligence sharing” between U.S. and Philippine forces. While the number of drones deployed to Basa was not specified, it should be noted that containers used to transport the drones can be seen behind the base’s air defense alert command hangars via open-source imagery.

Senior U.S. officials announced an additional $128 million in EDCA funding on top of a “once-in-a-generation investment” of $500 million in foreign military financing dedicated to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard during last month’s 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Manila. According to a statement, the new funding covers projects across seven of the nine total EDCA sites.

Both countries have claimed that EDCA aids Philippine military modernization through the construction of new infrastructure and more training activities with U.S. forces. Investment into the bases has also stepped up in recent years amid increasing tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputes in the South China Sea, particularly around Second Thomas Shoal and the resupply of its Philippine Marine garrison.

Source: USNI News

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