US military chief meets Brawner in Manila as intel pact takes shape

NEW MOMENTUM FOR OLD ALLIES Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (left) and his American counterpart, Gen. Charles Brown Jr. (right), chair of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, mark the latter’s visit with a troop review at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday. —photos from the Armed Forces of the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the US military met on Tuesday with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. to show Washington’s “solid commitment” to its alliance with Manila, ahead of a meeting between the top diplomatic and defense officials of the two countries.

Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in the country on Tuesday for “a series of engagements” with Brawner aimed at strengthening “the long-standing US-Philippines defense relationship,” the US Department of Defense (DOD) said in a statement.

Brown’s visit comes two weeks ahead of the 2+2 “Ministerial Dialogue” in Manila between the foreign and defense secretaries of the two security allies.

READ: PH, US to finalize 2 pacts this month

Intel-sharing pact

The meeting, scheduled for July 30, followed the conclusion of negotiations last month on Manila’s General Security of Military Information Agreement with Washington.

The United States has required a security inspection of selected military facilities in the Philippines before it seals that intelligence-sharing pact.

In a statement on Tuesday, AFP Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the meeting between Brawner and Brown “focused on enhancing bilateral defense cooperation, strengthening joint military exercises, and addressing regional security challenges.”

The statement quoted Brawner as saying: “Our alliance with the United States remains a cornerstone of our national security. Through continued collaboration and mutual support, we fortify our defense capabilities and ensure the stability of our region.”

Visiting an Edca site

According to the DOD, Brown will also visit one of the nine military sites where US forces have access under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).

Explaining Edca’s significance, the US Embassy said it “enables the US and Philippine militaries to train together, respond to natural and humanitarian crises, and achieve modernization goals.”

TOP BRASS MEETING US military chief Gen. Charles Brown Jr. (left) and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. affirm the strength of their countries’ security alliance ahead of a crucial foreign and defense ministers’ meeting scheduled for July 30.

“The US and the Philippines determine Edca locations together, with the Philippine leadership providing final approval,” the embassy said.

Malacañang in April last year named four additional Edca sites—Camilo Osias Naval Base in Sta. Ana town and Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo town, Cagayan province; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu town, Isabela province; and Balabac, the southernmost island of Palawan province.

These were in addition to previously agreed-upon sites, namely Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, Mactan-Benito Abuen Air Base in Cebu, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Basa Air Base in Pampanga and Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan.

Ties ‘gaining momentum’

The US defense department said Brown had “noted the expansion of US rotational access” last year in the four new Edca sites.

“I do see that the relationship is gaining momentum,” the DOD quoted the top American general as saying. “In the Philippines, we have a long-standing, shared interest in regional stability that’s backed by international law.”

A general of the US Air Force, Brown first visited Manila in 1987 when he was still a junior officer, the DOD said.