MANILA – The United States and the Philippines have designated four additional bases for U.S. troops to operate from as both countries agreed to accelerate the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that will house American troops and their equipment in Philippine military camps located in strategic areas of the country.
The new sites to base U.S. forces and their equipment were announced on Thursday while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the Philippines as part of a Western Pacific trip. He held meetings with officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

“The addition of these new EDCA locations will allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges, both the U.S. and the Philippines said in a joint statement.
“The EDCA is a key pillar of the US-Philippines alliance, which supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between our forces. Expansion of the EDCA will make our alliance stronger and more resilient, and will accelerate the modernization of our combined military capabilities.”

During a press briefing held by Galvez and Austin, the U.S. defense secretary made it clear that the U.S. was “not seeking…