Whatever happens at the closure of the ongoing war between the United States-Israel against Iran and its allies, one thing appears to be sure, even at this time.
This one thing is that the United States of America will continue to be an economy driven by war. In fact, the US has been involved in 12 major wars and hundreds of smaller conflicts since it became a nation in 1775.
The list includes the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) Independence from Great Britain; War of 1812 (1812-1815) Conflict with Great Britain; Mexican-American War (1846-1848) Territorial expansion; Civil War (1861-1865) Deadliest war in US history; Spanish-American War (1898), which includes the smaller Filipino-American War.
World War I (1917-1918), World War II (1941-1945), Korean War (1950-1943), Vietnam War (1955-1975), Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) Operation Desert Storm; War on Terror (2001-2021) Included wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Included also in this list are hundreds of smaller, undeclared conflicts, including the Indian Wars, the Barbary Wars, and various interventions in Latin America and the Middle East.
There was even a study that reported that in the United States’ 251-year history, there was only 16 years of peace, a time frame during which the US was not at war.
It is in this backdrop that we situate the US Department of War’s plan to construct a major fuel storage facility on the western coast of the Davao Gulf to expand its logistical reach in the Western Pacific.
The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) issued a formal solicitation on March 31 for Washington-based contractors to build and operate a Defense Fuel Support Point (DFSP) along the coast of Mindanao. The facility will store nearly one million barrels of U.S. government-owned fuel to support warships and aircraft operating away from traditional northern hubs and is a key EDCA facility.
The area being considered is the “western coast of the Davao Gulf to include Davao City, Davao del Sur and Malalag Bay.”
Once operational in 2028, the Davao facility is expected to serve as an alternative refueling site to Subic and Manila. Its location provides the US Navy direct access to the Sulu Sea, a key transit route for carrier strike groups and amphibious assault ships moving through the first island chain. Similar facilities are also planned in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and Darwin, Australia.
The plan was immediately opposed by residents and local officials of Davao City and the provinces in the Davao region, including the Sultanate of Sulu, religious and civic groups in the area.
In a statement, the Davao City LGU said it “does not welcome and will oppose any plan to build foreign military facilities within the jurisdiction of Davao City.”
It is concerning to note that while the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman said the oil depot will be owned and operated by the Philippine government, the US War Department posted in a federal government website on March 31 its contract opportunity. The solicitation was described as for a “contractor-owned and contractor-operated fuel storage services in Davao, Philippines.”
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad is caught lying here.
More and more Filipinos are waking up to the reality that we do not need any more presence of the US military anywhere in the Philippines.
#OpinYon8 #ViewFromCalumpang #UnitedStates