MANILA, Philippines, November 22 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines has confirmed the existence of US Task Force Ayungin in Palawan, saying it is operating under the AFP’s Western Command (WESCOM). “US troops in Palawan provide technical assistance through the information-sharing group within the Command and Control Fusion Center in Western Command,” AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement. “This support enhances our capability in maritime domain awareness, a critical task that aids in planning and implementing programs and activities to protect our interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS),” he added. He gave no further details.
The public affairs office of the Joint US Military Assistance Group also declined to share more information about Task Force Ayungin. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also confirmed the activities of Task Force Ayungin, but clarified that the unit is “internal” to the US and that all military activities or operations in Ayungin Shoal and in the West Philippine Sea in general such as supply missions were solely carried out by the Philippines. “Actually, that is internally the side of the US,” Año said of the task force’s operations. “As for us, we remain the same and it’s the WESCOM that’s in charge,” he explained, noting that the Philippine Army, the Area Task Force West, and even the Philippine Coast Guard assist in WESCOM’s operations. “The US task force, as you may have heard in interviews, is a US task force, meaning to say it is internal to them on how they will support the armed forces,” Año said.
He said the US Task Force Ayungin’s support for the AFP mainly covers intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and maritime domain awareness. “But on actual direct participation, it’s purely a Philippine operation,” he stressed, adding that he does not even know when the task force came into existence. “I think, let us put it this way. We have the US-Philippine cooperation, MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty), we have agreed actions taken for the whole year. So this is not centered just on Ayungin. All aspects of our MDT-SEB (Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board) constitute our cooperation and collaboration with the US forces,” he said.
Source: philstar.com
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