Micah McCartney
The Philippines has opened a new base in its far northern Batanes province, in the middle of the strategic Luzon Strait frequented by Chinese navy ships.
Why It Matters
The Philippines is part of the so-called first island chain, a string of Pacific allies the Pentagon views as critical to containing China's military in the event of a conflict. Since last year, the U.S. has deployed missile systems to the northern Philippines that put parts of China—and any ships passing through the narrow strait—in range.
Manila is locked in a territorial dispute over China's expansive patrols within the Philippines' maritime zones, and the presence of the U.S. missiles has further inflamed tensions, with Manila resisting Beijing's demands to remove them, insisting their deployment is not aimed at any country in particular.
U.S. troops fly a CH-47 Chinook aircraft over Itbayat Island, Batanes, Philippines during an exfiltration mission during Exercise Balikatan 25 on April 30, 2025. Spc. Charles Clark/U.S. Army
What To Know
On Thursday, Batanes Governor Ronald Aguto Jr. joined the Philippine navy's Northern Luzon Command in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new base in Mahato, on Batan Island.
The site "will serve as a hub for territorial defense, maritime domain awareness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response," the command said in a statement posted to social media.
"More than a military facility, it is envisioned as a whole-of-nation platform, open for use by maritime agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as well as local fisherfolk, to enhance coordination, safety, and rapid response in the Philippine seas," the statement added.
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