South China Sea: US-Philippines intelligence deal ‘long overdue’, marks deepening ties
- Observers say the move is expected to raise Beijing’s ire, but is a logical next step for the Philippines amid the maritime row
On Tuesday, General Charles Brown Jnr, US military chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met Manila defence officials at Camp Aguinaldo, showing America’s “solid commitment” to its long-time ally following last month’s violent confrontation between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the Second Thomas Shoal.
Brown Jnr is set to inspect selected US military bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a pact between the Philippines and the US that allows for large-scale joint military exercises, troops rotation and pre-positioned defence material, equipment and supplies.
The inspection is necessary before both countries will approve the intel-sharing framework, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSMIA), allowing the exchange of classified information in a timely manner.
Once approved, both countries will have protocols for safeguarding top-secret military information and early detection of potential threats in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for parts of the South China Sea it considers to be in its exclusive economic zone.
“This is very important also for the Philippines. This is the first time that we’ll be having this with another nation. And of course, it’s very good to show that the Philippines can also have intel-sharing in terms of our defence cooperation,” military spokesman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters.
In a statement on Wednesday, US Joint Chiefs of Staff public affairs office spokesman Navy Captain Jereal Dorsey said Brown Jnr had discussed the “ongoing efforts to strengthen the alliance” with the Philippines’ National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jnr.
China countermeasures expected
Rej Torrecampo, a security analyst at the Political Economic Elemental Researchers and Strategists, told This Week in Asia any US involvement in the South China Sea would be viewed in a negative light by Beijing.
“As a sovereign and independent state, we actually have the right to engage with another country,” said Torrecampo, who is also a senior lecturer of international studies at Miriam College.
“Now that we are improving our relationship with the US, that’s something that China will closely monitor … like what will be the changes, the new capabilities that will be stationed here in the Philippines.”
Torrecampo also warned that Beijing was likely to develop its own countermeasures when it came to intelligence capabilities.
He added that in any decision-making process, particularly for resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal where Filipino troops are stationed, access to intelligence was necessary and having real-time data pertaining to Chinese ship locations and movements could help Manila safely execute its operations.
The reason Washington and Manila are only now working to share intelligence, despite an alliance spanning decades, is due to new technologies and the evolution of the intelligence-gathering environment, according to Torrecampo.
Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a research fellow in the Southeast Asia Programme at the Lowy Institute, told This Week in Asia he believes the Philippines would benefit more from this agreement at the operational level, given its limited surveillance or intelligence capabilities.
“The Americans have far more advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities and any intelligence they gather regarding Chinese military activities in the region may be useful to the Philippines, given its overlapping maritime disputes with China and proximity to Taiwan,” Yaacob said.
At the broader strategic level, he added, it further showed closer US-Philippine defence relations. “The Philippines should and must engage China diplomatically while building up its military capabilities – and intelligence gathering is one of them.”
Matteo Piasentini, a security analyst from the China and Indo-Pacific desk at Geopolitica, an Italian think tank, said the latest intelligence-sharing move was a logical step forward to deepen ties between both sides.
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“The Philippine-US alliance lies on less institutionalised frameworks compared with other regional US allies, and sharing classified information in a timely manner is essential in coordinating military responses and actions.”
Joshua Espeña, a resident fellow and vice-president of the International Development and Security Cooperation, said the agreement between Manila and Washington was “long overdue”.
“Since the GSMIA can be the eyes and ears, it can serve as a building block to improve Manila’s decision-making capabilities for diplomacy. It will enable Manila’s ability to verify and confirm intelligence products needed as it continues diplomatic dialogues with China not just for crisis management but for collective deterrence,” he added.
Brown, Jnr’s visit came as the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs announced it had also reached a deal with Beijing to open a direct line of communication between both nations’ presidential offices in case leaders needed to convene over clashes in the disputed waters.
