The US military on Tuesday said it planned to provide a powerful land-based radar to the Philippines as the country faced an escalating dispute with China over territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The radar system will form part of a “watch center†that will track ships off the Philippine archipelago’s coastline, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
“We are in the initial planning stages of assisting the Philippines with a National Coast Watch Center,†Major Catherine Wilkinson told Agence France Presse.
“This center will improve the Philippine maritime domain awareness of a breadth of security issues including countering the proliferation of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to countering illegal smuggling,†Wilkinson said.
The cost and the timeline for the project were still being worked out, she said.
Robust show of support
Plans to provide a powerful radar to the Philippines came after President Benigno Aquino met with US President Barack Obama at the White House, where the Philippine leader was offered a robust show of military and economic support.
Manila has asked for the radar system and other military assistance to bolster its position in a row with Beijing over Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, which lies near the main Philippine island of Luzon.
