Is S.E.A.T.O. still in force? Do we still hhave any defense obligations with Manila?
Wish we still had Subic Bay and Cam Ranh Bay bases too.
Subic bay and Cam Ranh bay or even Clark AFB woul be of little use now.
These were logistics, hq and rear area bases, even shipyards. They would be way too close to China these days to be useful in these functions, as they are in range of most of the Chinese arsenal. They would also be vulnerable concentrated targets.
What the US has with its current Philippine basing agreement is the use of a large number of Philippine military bases and other dispersed sites, with the intention of using these to support rapidly deployed missile systems and air operations.
Instead of rear area assets, this agreement is about combat units. This was the subject of the recent large scale joint forces exercise Balikatan 2024. https://news.usni.org/2024/05/09/u-s-and-philippine-forces-defend-island-chain-near-taiwan-in-balikatan-2024-exercise
The US Navy along with the other allies in the region need to assemble an Asiatic Fleet that STAYS in the South China Sea as a thorn in the sides of the Chicoms instead of just exercising international passage operations from time to time. One it’s a trip wire if the Chicoms get squirrely and attack, two it gathers intel and three can respond to events like this attack quicker than a carrier battle group off Japan or Korea.