U.S. to help the Philippines upgrade military

U.S. to help the Philippines upgrade military

MANILA (Agencies): The United States and the Philippines announced a joint program on Sunday to begin modernizing Manila's aging military forces in a sign of improving defense ties between the two countries.

U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and his Philippine counterpart, Orlando Mercado, told reporters that experts from the two countries will meet to help establish Manila's needs in areas ranging from military defense to humanitarian missions by the armed forces.

The move comes as the two countries' armed forces begin moving closer after a difficult period following the closing of U.S. naval and air bases here seven years ago. The Philippine Senate this year approved a new U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) under which the two sides will resume joint exercises and cooperate in other areas.

"As our forces work together, the United States is prepared to assist the Filipino military efforts. We have established an inter-agency working group to address the issues, both in Washington and here in the Philippines," Cohen said.

"Our problems are myriad," Mercado told a press conference, noting that Manila needed to take steps in such areas as replacing Vietnam War-vintage search and rescue helicopters and upgrading its fleet of C-130 military transport planes.

"There is an urgent and pressing need for (military) lift capability," Mercado added.

But both secretaries stressed that no decisions had been made on equipment transfers from the United States and that experts would help determine the needs.

In a related development, Cohen welcomed the successful first test on Sunday of a proposed U.S. missile defense system designed to destroy missiles launched by rogue nations or terrorists.

"It was certainly a positive development for us," Cohen told reporters in Manila, his last stop of a five-nation Asian tour.

Cohen said the test, in which a missile launched from the Marshall Islands intercepted another missile fired from California, demonstrated "the kind of technology we are capable of developing."

U.S. President Bill Clinton is expected to decide next year whether to actually deploy the system.

U.S. defense officials traveling with Cohen said the first meeting of experts would be in Washington on Dec. 11-16.

The two secretaries also discussed other issues including peacekeeping in East Timor and the disputed Spratly Islands.

Cohen praised Mercado for arranging "code of conduct" meetings on the Spratlys at the end of November to keep the six nations with claims on the Spratlys from accidentally going to war.

Mercado and Cohen, winding up a five-nation Asian trip, had lunch at the venerable Manila Hotel and Cohen later departed for Washington.

The Spratlys are a major issue of concern to Manila and Washington has urged the Philippines and China -- among six countries claiming the islands in the South China Sea -- to settle the dispute peacefully.

Military ties between Washington and Manila have improved slowly and steadily since a tense period seven years ago when the U.S. military was forced to leave the big Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base.

The most contentious issue under President Joseph Estrada, who was sworn in last year, has been the new visiting forces agreement. It was ratified by the Philippine Senate in May over vigorous opposition from the local Roman Catholic Church and leftist groups, who see the accord as an infringement on Philippine sovereignty.

The VFA cleared the way for the resumption of joint military exercises which were suspended in 1995, three years after the U.S. shut down its last military base in the country. It also spells out legal procedures for dealing with crimes committed by U.S. servicemen while on military exercises in the Philippines.