U.S. Helping the Philippines to Defend Territory if War Breaks in Second Thomas Shoal
If war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific, it will not be over Taiwan but over the atolls and shoals dotting the South China Sea. At least, that’s the argument the Philippine ambassador to Washington has made, calling these sovereignty disputes, particularly between China and the Philippines, the region’s “real flashpoint.” The Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday, May 18, the country will "vigorously defend what is ours", in a thinly veiled reference to mounting tensions with China over maritime disputes. Today, the South China Sea facilitates $3.4 trillion of global trade and contains untold amounts of fossil fuels and fish. China covets these routes, resources, and riches. It also wants dominion over these “near seas” to curtail American military operations near its coastal economic and military hubs. Over the past decade, China has added teeth to its claims of control by greenlighting a destabilizing maritime insurgency to coerce Southeast Asian nations into relinquishing their maritime rights. He did not identify the intruders, but Manila and Beijing have been in escalating standoffs in the South China Sea, including China's use of a water cannon that resulted in injuries and property damage, a military-grade laser directed at Philippine vessels, and what the Philippines calls "dangerous maneuvers" in the disputed waterway. Nowhere in the South China Sea seems as ripe for conflict as Second Thomas Shoal. The U.S. Navy should also deploy sailors to Philippine Navy and Coast Guard vessels operating near the Spratly Islands. In return, the U.S. Navy could host Philippine personnel aboard Seventh Fleet or Third Fleet units. Such exchanges offer enhanced interoperability as both countries discuss and delineate tactical responsibilities during wartime and peacetime operations and try to grapple with the other’s tactics, techniques, and procedures.