The purpose is..., the US military deploys "Reaper" drones in the Philippines
Currently on duty at the Philippine Air Force Base
The U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Expeditionary Force confirmed that at the request of the Philippines, MQ-9A drones began performing missions at Bassa Air Force Base in the Philippines this spring to support intelligence sharing between the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The U.S. Marine Corps will use unarmed MQ-9As for reconnaissance and surveillance.
The Philippine constitution prohibits the permanent presence of foreign troops in the country. This time, the US military drones are "temporarily stationed" in a rotational manner, based on the "Enhancing Defense Cooperation Agreement" signed by the Philippines and the United States in 2014.
The MQ-9A rotation deployment location - Basa Air Base in the Philippines, located north of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is one of the nine military bases that the US military can use in the Philippines. The base plans to receive more U.S. funding for transformation and upgrading through the Philippines-U.S. "Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement." Projects including runway renovation and expansion have been completed. The base also plans to expand its parking apron and renovate its command and control center, according to new U.S. budget documents.
The MQ-9A "Reaper" UAV is the representative model of the U.S. military's medium-altitude, long-endurance surveillance and attack UAV, which has been continuously upgraded in recent years.
What is the purpose of the US military deploying MQ-9A drones at Bassa Air Force Base in the Philippines?
Du Wenlong, a special commentator of the main station, analyzed that according to the activity radius and various capabilities of the MQ-9A "Reaper" drone, it can conduct detailed reconnaissance of the Chinese naval formations in the South China Sea, including the situation of islands and reefs, and conduct detailed reconnaissance of the Ren'ai Reef, including the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal. The China Coast Guard conducts reconnaissance. If it is conducted in other directions, it can also have reconnaissance effects on the Taiwan Strait and Bashi Strait.
Du Wenlong said that the intelligence sharing claimed by the United States with the Philippines is just a pretense. The goal is still to deploy its "big ears" and "big eyes" around the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and achieve joint intelligence information sharing with other countries across the Taiwan Strait. Including continuous tracking and reconnaissance in the South China Sea, the next step does not rule out the possibility of more U.S. reconnaissance forces entering the Philippines in a forward-deployed manner.
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