Page 4 of 4 How the US got its
Philippine bases back By Herbert Docena
Notes continued Services LLC is a partnership between DynCorp International, Parsons
Global Services, and PWC Logistics. The $14.4 million contract is actually part
of a bigger $450-million five-year contract for Global Contingency Services to
"provide a full range of world-wide contingency and disaster-response services,
including humanitarian assistance and interim or transitional base-operating
support services". According to DynCorp's website, this will
include "facility operations and maintenance; air operations; port operations;
health care; supply and warehousing; galley; housing support; emergency
services; security, fire, and rescue; vehicle equipment; and incidental
construction." Contingency Response Services LLC describes its work as
encompassing "operating forces support", "community support", and "base
support". According to the Defense Industry Daily publication, the contract
also includes "morale, welfare, and recreation support". The specific contract
for work for the JSOTF-P is expected to be completed in January 2008 but other
contracts may follow as part of the $450 million-package. ("Contracts, June 6,
2007," US Department of Defense; Press Release, "DynCorp International and JV
Partners Win $450 million NAVFAC Contract," DynCorp International, November 2,
2006; "Contingency Response Services", DynCorp International; Defense Industry
Daily, "$14.4M to help US SOCOM in the Philippines," June 8, 2007; Ethan
Butterfield, "DynCorp lands $450M Navy Contingency Services Deal," Washington
Technology, November 3, 2006.
26. "US denies building bases in Mindanao," GMANews.TV, August 27, 2007.
27. Veronica Uy, "VFACom Chief Denies US bases in Mindanao," Inquirer.net,
August 24, 2007.
28. Robert D Kaplan, Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the
Air, at Sea, and on the Ground (New York: Random House, 2007), p. 319.
29 T D Flack, "Special Operations Force Aiding an Important Ally," Stars and
Stripes, March 11, 2007; T D Flack, "Special Operations Force Aiding an
Important Ally," Stars and Stripes, March 11, 2007; Colonel Gregory Wilson,
"Anatomy of a Successful COIN Operation: OEF-Philippines and the Indirect
Approach," Military Review, November to December 2006.
30. At start of the deployment in January 2002, there were supposed to be 160
to 250 who were joining. (Steve Vogel, "Americans Arrive in Philippines US
Special Forces To Aid Filipino Army In Threatened Areas," Washington Post,
January 16, 2002; Fe B Zamora, "All US troops will leave on July 31, says
Wurster," Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 1, 2002; Pat Roque, "US Special
Forces in Philippines," Associated Press, February 18, 2002; Bill Gertz and
Rowan Scarborough, "Philippine confusion," Washington Times, February 8, 2002).
In November 2002, the Army Magazine reported that there were 260 members of the
task force were in the southern Philippines. (Army Magazine, "News Call,"
November 1, 2002). In February 2003, 350 Special Forces were reportedly
scheduled to be sent to Sulu but this was postponed. (Eric Schmitt, "US combat
force of 1700 is headed to the Philippines", New York Times, February 21, 2003;
Bradley Graham, "US Bolsters Philippine Force," Washington Post, February 21,
2003) In October 2003, 300 Special Forces were reported to be in Basilan ("US
spy aircraft deployed in Philippines," October 13, 2003 The News International
(Pakistan). By February 2006, 250 more troops were reported to be joining those
who were already in Sulu but it was not clear how many were still there at that
time ("RP-US to conduct war games amid 'rape' controversy," Philipine Daily
Inquirer, January 10, 2006; "No time frame of US troops' stay in Sulu,"
Mindanews, January 17, 2006). Shortly after, US military spokesperson Captain
Burrel Parmer announced that 400 US troops will be Sulu for various projects.
(Ding Cervantes, "5,500 US military personnel coming for Balikatan 2006,"
Philippine Star, February 17, 2006). In September 2006, 114 US troops were
reported to have arrived in Zamboanga City as part of the "normal rotation" of
soldiers under JSOTF-P, according to the US Embassy. (Julie Alipala, "100 GIs
held at Zambo immigration," Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 28, 2006). In
February 2007, US today reported 450 and Reuters put the number at 100 (Paul
Wiseman, "In Philippines, US Making Progress in War on Terror," USA Today,
Februay 13, 2007; "Philippines increases security for US forces," Reuters,
February 26, 2007).
31. "Civilians want probe on US military's alleged supervision in Sulu war,"
Mindanews, November 24, 2005.
32. Colonel David Maxwell, "Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines: What Would
Sun-Tzu say?" Military Review, May-June 2004; Members of the 1st Special Forces
Group, "The history of the 1st SF Group in the Republic of the Philippines;
1957-2002," Special Warfare, June 2002; C H Briscoe, "Why the Philippines:
ARSOF's expanded mission in the war on terror," Special Warfare, September
2004; "Interview with Vice Admiral Eric T Olson," Special Operations Technology
Online, July 13, 2004, Volume 2, Issue 4; Colonel. Gregory Wilson, "Anatomy of
a Successful COIN Operation: OEF-Philippines and the Indirect Approach,"
Military Review, November to December 2006.
33. John Hendren, "Rebels shoot at US Troops in the Philippines," Los Angeles
Times, June 18, 2002; Army Magazine (published by the Association of the United
States Army), "News Call," August 1, 2002; Roel Pareno, "Gunfire hits Huey with
US troops," Philippine Star, March 9, 2006.
34. See Herbert Docena, Unconventional Warfare: Are US Special Forces Engaged
in an 'Offensive War' in the Philippines?" (Quezon City: Focus on the Global
South, 2007).
35. "American troops aboard Humvee spotted leading military convoy," Philippine
Daily Inquirer, August 15, 2007.
36. Eliza Griswold, "Waging Peace in the Philippines", The Smithsonian,
December 2006.
37. Major Kevin T Henderson, US Army, "Army Special Operations Forces and
Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Integration: Something a
Joint Task Force Commander should Consider," monograph, United States Army
Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies, 19 May
2004; another writer talks about a "Forward Operating Base 11" in the southern
Philippines (Cherilyn Walley, "Impact of the semi-permissive environment on
force protection in Philippine engagements," Special Warfare, September 2004);
T D Flack, "When Visiting Jolo, Show a Little Courtesy, Please," Stars and
Stripes, March 12, 2007.
38. Alain Lallemand, "Profiteering on Location," International Consortium of
Investigative Journalists, May 22, 2007.
39, Center for Defense Information, "Worldwide Reorientation of US Military
Basing: Part II: Central Asia, Southwest Asia, and the Pacific," October 7,
2003; Stanley A Weiss, "After Iraq, a New US Military Model," International
Herald Tribune, December 27, 2006.
40. Greg Jaffe, "Rumsfeld details big military shift in new document," Wall
Street Journal, March 11, 2005.
41. Admiral Thomas B Fargo, "Regarding the Defense Global Forces Posture
Review," Testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, September 23,
2004.
42. Donald H Rumsfeld (US Secretary of Defense), Testimony before Senate Armed
Services Committee, Washington DC, September 23, 2004.
43. Donald H Rumsfeld (US Secretary of Defense), Annual Report to the President
and the Congress 2005, p. 36-37.
44. Robert Kaplan, Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military
from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond, New York: Vintage
Books 2006, p.150.
45. C H Briscoe, "Reflections and Observations on ARSOF Operations During
Balikatan 02-1," Special Warfare, September 2004.
46. Christine Avendano, "US willing to help RP troops in fight vs NPA,"
Inquirer.net, June 28, 2007.
47. C H Briscoe, "Reflections and Observations on ARSOF Operations During
Balikatan 02-1," Special Warfare, September 2004.
48. "Interview with Major General David Fridovich," Special Operations
Technology SOTECH, April 23, 2007.
49. Rommel C Banlaoi, The War on Terrorism in Southeast Asia, (Manila:
Rex Book Store Inc., 2004).
50. Robert Kaplan, Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military
from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond (New York: Vintage
Books, 2006), p.178.
51. Robert Kaplan, Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military
from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond (New York: Vintage
Books 2006), p.134.
Herbert Docena is author of "At the Door of all the East: The Philippines
in United States Military Strategy", a new report launched by Focus on the
Global South, an international policy research institute.
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