US Task Force Ayungin backs AFP in West PH Sea but won’t join missions

US Task Force Ayungin is part of the United States' support for Philippine forces in the country's maritime zones, but they won't directly participate in actual missions in the West Philippine Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said. 

According to Chino Gaston's report on "24 Oras" on Thursday, Año said the members of Task Force Ayungin—a group US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin referred to during his visit to Palawan—will not be included in actual missions in the West Philippine Sea.

“ISR maritime domain awareness, so tumutulong sila sa pagbibigay ng information about that," Año said.

(They provide ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] maritime domain awareness, so they help in providing information.)

"On actual direct participation, it is a purely Philippine operation, the [Western Command] supported by the Philippine Coast Guard,” Año added.

'Enhanced cooperation'

In a statement, US Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said the task force enhances "coordination and interoperability" between the allies' forces in the sea.

"Task Force Ayungin enhances US-Philippine Alliance coordination and interoperability by enabling US forces to support Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) activities in the South China Sea," he said.

Gangopadhyay said the initiative was aligned with the lines of cooperation between Philippine US forces

These include the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) process and the Bantay Dagat framework, "in addition to our long-standing shared efforts to address regional challenges, foster stability, and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

In an email correspondence with GMA News Online, the United States Defense Press Operations said that the presence of Task Force Ayungin was the continuation of a decades-long partnership between the Philippines and the US “in support of shared security interests.”

“TF Ayungin is comprised of US forces providing our Philippines allies with enhanced cooperation and interoperability for their maritime operations," the DOD statement said.

"This support includes training with Philippines’ Western Command (WESCOM) for systems provided through US security assistance, such as the Unmanned Surface Vessels that Secretary Austin observed during his stop in Palawan,” it added.

'Technical assistance'

According to the AFP, the US troops in Palawan provide technical assistance through the information-sharing group within the Command and Control Fusion Center in the Western Command.

"The US assistance enhances the AFP’s capabilities in maritime domain awareness, which aids in planning and implementing programs and activities to protect the Philippines’ interests in the West Philippine Sea," said AFP Public Affairs Office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad.

Located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Ayungin Shoal is within the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but is being claimed by China as part of its territory.

Since 1999, BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era landing ship of the Philippine Navy, has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal and manned by Filipino troops, becoming a symbol of Philippine sovereignty.

In the past several months, Chinese vessels and aircraft have been blocking or harassing Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, resulting in heightened tensions in the region.—RF/NB, GMA Integrated News