New US Unit in Philippines Vital for Taiwan, South China Sea Defense: Analysts

The deployment is filling Washington’s strategic void in the First Island Chain, one expert says.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner (L) talks to U.S. soldiers as they stand next to a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, displayed at the Asian Defense and Security Exhibition in Manila on Sept. 25, 2024. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. Army’s new contingent in the Philippines could play a critical role in countering Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but poses some risk to Philippine forces, experts say.

The mission profile of the unit—formally identified as Army Rotational Force–Philippines—was outlined to the Marine Rotational Force–Southeast Asia in mid-January in Manila, according to a Jan. 29 post by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).