US & GLOBAL: Recent reports have been made in regard to some suggestions by Filippino President, Ferdinand Marcos who states that the US has every reason to file NATO's Article 5 against China. Contained in Article 6 is the NATO defense police which states that, in effect, 'an attack on an ally is an attack on all allies.'
By Anne M Erbynstein
[I]f any Philippine serviceman is killed by an attack by a foreign power..." US Defense Secretary General, Lloyd Austin III stated, "the Mutual Defense Treaty will be invoked."
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has clarified the criteria for triggering his country’s defense pact with the United States, which has become a prominent question amid recent confrontations with China in contested waters. The specific incident that Marcos refers to is related to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippines and the U.S.
According to Article 5 of the 1951 treaty, the defense pact would be invoked if an armed attack by a foreign power results in the death of a Philippine armed service member. Experts have criticized the vagueness, and there is a need for a firmer operational definition to prevent China from exploiting such ambiguities.
China’s actions in the South China Sea, where it claims nearly all of the waters as its territorial zone, have escalated. During Philippine supply missions to a remote military outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands, China Coast Guard water cannons damaged a supply boat and injured Philippine service members.
On Monday, US Defense Secretary General, Lloyd Austin III stated that the Mutual Defense Treaty would be invoked should an armed attack by a foreign power result in the death of a member ofthe Philippine armed forces.
Tension is highlighted involving these incidents and underscores the importance of clarity in invoking the Mutual Defense Treaty.
Today, the Philippine government questions China’s premise regarding the so-called ten-dash line, which is not recognized by any country or international body. This territorial dispute remains a significant point of contention between the two nations. Following the forces brought against the US during Biden's S. China Seas explorations, the US Defense Department has taken steps to develop the 'Replicator Initiative--a move forward in building thousands of autonomous war-ready vehicles meant to "deter conflict ...saays Deputy Secretary, Kathleen Hicks." The US Defense states that it is prepared. nonetheless, to fight and win the war. The Pentagon reports on the Replicator Initiative stating that the plan will cost the US $1billion dollars to build.
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