Source: Global Times

[Special Correspondent of Global Times: Chen Yang, Global Times Reporter: Liu Yang] The Philippines is expanding a new naval base to construct several new types of vessels for the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard, thereby strengthening its maritime power in the South China Sea. A Chinese expert interviewed by the Global Times said that although the performance of the newly added vessels does not seem advanced compared with Chinese naval and coast guard vessels, it still represents a significant improvement over existing vessels in the Philippines. This means that, with support from certain extra-regional countries in the future, the Philippines' provocative actions in relevant sea areas may increase.

Expansion of New Naval Base

The US "Naval News" website reported on the 23rd that the Philippine Navy plans to start a new naval base in Subic Bay to enhance its deployment capabilities in the South China Sea direction. The report mentioned that during last autumn's US Congressional hearing, it was disclosed that the Subic Naval Base in the Philippines was insufficient in supporting the modernization of equipment and larger vessels for the Philippines.

"Naval News" reporters learned during their visit to the base last September that local personnel housing, vessel docking space, and other infrastructure were inadequate to support the Philippines deploying a larger fleet.

In this situation, the Philippines began looking for locations to build dedicated military infrastructure. Recently, at the 127th anniversary ceremony of the Philippine Navy, President Marcos Jr. announced the establishment of new naval infrastructure near the entrance to Subic Bay. According to his statement, the new Nabasan Naval Base will expand using an existing dock at the bay entrance, and construction will soon begin. The region managing authority, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, stated that the dock is 180 meters long, 14 meters deep, and can accommodate large vessels. "Although the Nabasan Naval Base cannot compare with the large berths of the Subic Naval Base, new naval facilities can be constructed here."

Subic Bay holds strategic importance; since colonial times, it has been used as an important naval base by Spain, the United States, and Japan. Nowadays, not only is the base being used by the Philippine military, but it also allows large vessels from international partners such as the US and France to dock and undergo maintenance here. The "Naval News" report also emphasized that the establishment of the base in Subic Bay will impact the increasingly important Sulu Sea.

First Missile Frigate Equipped with Vertical Launch System Enters Service

At the ceremony marking the 127th anniversary of the Philippine Navy, the first missile frigate equipped with a vertical launch system was officially commissioned. The US Naval Institute website reported that the "Miguel Malvar" frigate (FFG-06), built by South Korea for the Philippine Navy, is the first ship of the Philippine Navy to be equipped with a vertical launch system and active electronically scanned array radar. It has a displacement of approximately 3,200 tons, its vertical launch system can deploy 16 "Mica" air defense missiles with a maximum range of 12 kilometers, and it also carries eight "Harpoon"-class "Sea Star" anti-ship missiles, making this frigate the most powerful surface combatant currently in service in the Philippines.

Recently, the Philippine Navy's first missile frigate equipped with a vertical launch system entered service. (Photo source: Philippine Navy website)

According to reports from multiple Philippine media outlets, the largest main battle ship of the Philippine Navy before was an old destroyer from World War II. It wasn't until the commissioning of the 2,600-ton "Jose Rizal" destroyer purchased from South Korea in 2020 that the Philippine Navy was considered to have modern surface combat vessels. In terms of performance, the newly commissioned "Miguel Malvar" not only has a larger tonnage than the "Jose Rizal", but its weaponry is also more complete.

According to plans, the second ship of the "Miguel Malvar" class is expected to be delivered later this year.

The Philippine Navy also commissioned another patrol gunboat, which was self-built by a Philippine shipyard based on technology transferred from Israel. The Philippine Navy procured a total of nine of these ships, some of which are equipped with "Spike"-NLOS missiles capable of attacking targets up to 32 kilometers away.

It is worth noting that the Philippine Navy also displayed two T-12 MANTAS unmanned surface vessels. These are part of the unmanned combat systems provided by the US. Last November, the US side specifically emphasized the contribution of these unmanned vessels to enhancing the Philippine Navy's perception capabilities in disputed waters. It was introduced that a US task force stationed in Palawan Province, facing the South China Sea, is responsible for helping train the Philippine Navy to operate these unmanned systems.

In addition, the French OCEA shipyard signed a €400 million large-scale shipbuilding contract with the Philippine Coast Guard on the 22nd. This contract includes 40 fast response boats, each about 35 meters long, with a displacement of approximately 110 tons and a maximum speed of 35 knots. The "Naval News" website reported that the shipyard previously built large patrol vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard, which were then the largest and most powerful vessels in the Philippine Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Japan is also building five "multi-purpose response ships" for the Philippines. The "Naval News" claimed that the impending 45 new vessels will further enhance the Philippine Coast Guard's ability to carry out missions in relevant sea areas.

Caution Needed Regarding New Bases Being Used by Others

Zhang Xuefeng, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on the 26th that the Philippine maritime forces are currently rapidly upgrading their equipment. From a performance perspective, whether it is the so-called "strongest in Philippine history" "Miguel Malvar" destroyer, or the fast response boats imported from France, or the "multi-purpose response ships" built by Japan, they can only be said to barely keep pace with the world's qualified standards. Their tonnage, performance, and equipped armaments cannot be compared with those of major regional military powers. The simultaneous acceptance of so many new vessels by the Philippines will create immense pressure on the training of qualified technical personnel and logistics maintenance. This new dynamic deserves high attention and vigilance.

Zhang Xuefeng believed that what is even more concerning is whether the newly built naval bases in the Philippines could possibly be used by the US military in the future. According to multiple defense agreements signed between the US and the Philippines in recent years, the US military has been utilizing an increasing number of Philippine bases for military deployments, with naval and air force bases being the focus of the US military's deployments. From a long-term perspective, the bases that the Philippines is renovating and newly constructing may be used by the US military in the future.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508889021809033764/

Disclaimer: The article only represents the author's personal views. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" button below.