United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III has revealed the existence of what appears to be a military unit of American troops in the country called the "US Task Force Ayungin." The Department of National Defense and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have yet to issue a statement on the matter, considering that no such task force has been mentioned before.
Ayungin apparently refers to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea where the AFP maintains an outpost utilizing the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
Rotation and resupply missions for troops stationed there had previously resulted in violent confrontations between Philippine Navy-commissioned civilian supply vessels and the China Coast Guard.
Austin referred to the unit after his trip to Palawan on Tuesday as part of his two-day visit to the Philippines.
"I visited the Command and Control Fusion Center in Palawan today. I also met with some American service members deployed to US Task Force Ayungin, and I thanked them for their hard work on behalf of the American people and our alliances and partnerships in this region," he said in a post on X.
Austin visited the Western Command of the AFP in Puerto Princesa, Palawan where he and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro had meetings, capability demonstrations and a press conference.
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