Backgrounder posted August 8, 2011 by Renato Cruz De Castro, Walter Lohman
U.S.–Philippines Partnership in the Cause of Maritime Defense
Abstract: Events in the South China Sea this year illustrate once again the urgent need for the Philippines to shift its focus from internal security to maritime defense. The U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, deeply embedded consultation mechanisms, and a century of friendship, cooperation, and mutual sacrifice provide the framework…