… Anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) is the term used by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a Washington-based security think tank, in a 2012 paper, “The Geostrategic Return of the Philippines,” which highlighted the paramount strategic value of the archipelago.
Its prescription for our external defense: “The United States needs to help the Philippines develop its own set of ‘anti-access/area denial’ capabilities to counter China’s growing power projection capabilities. Emphasis should be on providing defensive systems like maritime surveillance aircraft, coastal anti-ship defenses, and air defense systems.”
Add to that the surveillance planes and anti-aircraft systems also recommended by CSBA. With such armaments, the Philippines can deter EEZ intruders and external invaders without harboring foreign forces. And that’s the foundation of a truly independent foreign policy…