Re: ASEAN military news
US military planning to set up storage depot in Phl
By Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star) Updated August 15, 2012 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The United States military is planning to set up a storage depot in the Philippine for their equipment and logistics from Afghanistan to support future disaster response or other contingency in the Asia-Pacific region, the US military press service said.
Aside from the Philippines, the leadership of the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) is also considering storage facilities in Singapore, according to the report published by the US Department of Defense.
The US is drawing down forces in Afghanistan in preparation for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan bases.
“As opposed to bringing it (logistics and materiel) home, putting it in central storage facilities, it might make more sense, when we do calculus, to forward move (materiel) to a place we could get access at very low-cost storage facilities,” said Brig. Gen. Mark McLeod, USPACOM director for logistics, engineering and security.
He cited several locations, such as Singapore and the Philippines, that have low-cost warehouse space and good airfield and port access.
He said even nations that are not comfortable with US military presence in the region tend to be open to accepting pre-positioned equipment and supplies, typically tucked away in shipping containers and storage facilities, to support a humanitarian response.
“We want to posture them somewhere in the theater that would allow us to react very quickly. We are looking for the opportunities to place those assets out there that will help us address the tyranny of distance,” McLeod added.
He said that materials to be disassembled from expeditionary camps in the US Central Command area of operations – tents, blankets and generators, among them – could be vital in a humanitarian crisis.
