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2026-07-02 | BY SCSPI
In March 1947, the U.S. and the Philippines signed the Military Bases Agreement (MBA) and the Military Assistance Agreement (MAA), granting the U.S. rent-free use of 23 Philippine bases for a period of 99 years. Concurrently, the U.S. provided military funding, weapons and equipment, training, and technical assistance to help the Philippines stabilize its political situation and build its armed forces. In August 1951, the two countries signed the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), which commits both parties to jointly resist potential external armed attacks, marking the formal establishment of the U.S.-Philippine alliance. In September 1966, the Ramos-Rusk Agreement reduced the lease term from 99 years to 25 years. In September 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected a new agreement that would have extended U.S. base rights, forcing the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Philippine bases. Subsequently, the U.S. military maintained a temporary presence and conducted joint training in the Philippines through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).
2026-06-25 | BY SCSPI
In 2025, the US military continued to strengthen its military deterrence against China, maintaining high-intensity operations including close-in reconnaissance, Taiwan Strait transits, forward presence, strategic cruising, military exercises and drills, as well as battlefield preparation in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas. Among them, large reconnaissance aircraft conducted about 1,200 missions, and ocean surveillance and oceanographic survey ships accumulated 197 ship days of activity. Carrier strike groups (CSGs) have entered the South China Sea 9 times, demonstrating a strong presence. At least 11 nuclear submarines appeared in the region throughout the year, signaling a clear deterrence intention. Furthermore, bombers conducted 13 sorties across 7 deployments into the South China Sea and its surrounding areas, frequently rehearsing “north-south converging maneuvers” and “distributed operations”.
2026-05-25 | BY SCSPI
In 2025, non-US extra-regional countries continued to expand their military presence in the Western Pacific, undertaking activities such as reconnaissance patrols, Taiwan Strait transits, forward deployments, drills and exercises, as well as port calls. The UK and France deployed carrier strike groups (CSGs) to the region, and conducted joint drills with allies like the US and Japan. Australia performed multiple declaratory operations in the name of defending “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea and participated in multilateral maritime cooperation activities led by the Philippines. Additionally, countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and India actively took part in multinational patrols and exercises.
2026-04-21 | BY Chen Yong
从目前形势看，无论美以伊战争以何种方式结束，霍尔木兹海峡的秩序都不可能恢复到战前状态。美国海上优势及制海权遭到了伊朗依托特殊地理条件的海上拒止，这再次暴露出21世纪海洋强国力量投送和运用的局限，尽管美国海军和海军陆战队已为濒海作战和应对区域拒止作战磨刀霍霍多年。如何应对伊朗在战时建立起的对霍尔木兹海峡及通行规则的主导、对海湾秩序的塑造能力，恐怕将成为国际社会不得不面对的议题。
2026-04-17 | BY Bao Yinan
Against the backdrop of the lack of substantive progress in the U.S.-Iran talks held in Islamabad over the weekend of April 11-12, the U.S. military has been imposing a formal maritime blockade on traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports as well as the Iranian coast since April 13.