The return of the Americans follows a deal hammered out with the Philippine military last spring. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grew out of concern here over China’s spread into waters just off the coast here, and China’s claim over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea that extends far below the Chinese mainland.
In Olangapo today, a city of 220,000, enthusiasm is strong for a US return. That’s due not only to the perceived China threat, but also because the Philippine armed forces, not the Pentagon, will govern the sprawling old base with new rules designed to curb off duty behavior.
After World War II, Subic gained prominence as the largest US naval facility in the Pacific, cherished for its deep water, sheltered spots to anchor ships, and elaborate repair infrastructure.
Yet during the heyday of Subic, US naval personnel gained notoriety for helping turn the area into a zone of hostess bars and prostitution that fostered local crime.
Now, the returning military must stay on approved parts of the base, which has added a well-groomed Harbor Point shopping mall with cinemas and some 200 stores including Starbucks, TGI Friday’s, and eventually Gold’s Gym. A midnight to 5 a.m. curfew will be enforced around the base.
To short-circuit charges of a new form of colonialism, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, a local governing body, is authorizing Philippine forces to oversee the former base and its returning inhabitants in segments of 15 years. [The Christian Science Monitor]
The U.S. nuclear-propelled Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier (L) and the Aegis-equipped Sejong the Great-class destroyer sail in waters off South Korea’s east coast on Oct. 28, 2015, as 25 South Korean and U.S. warships take part in a joint naval exercise aimed at bolstering combat readiness and interoperability, in this photo provided by the Navy. (Yonhap)
Chinese Internet posters are supposedly going bonkers over the fact that a US Navy ship conducted a freedom of navigation patrol through the South China Sea which the Chinese government ridiculously claims is part of China:
On Oct. 27, the high-stakes maritime game of chicken that has been playing out in the South China Sea came to a head. In a long-discussed freedom of navigation patrol, the United States sailed the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, within 12 miles of artificial islands that China has built amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China tracked and warned the U.S. vessel; the operation concluded without incident and prompted swift condemnation from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But after weeks of tough government rhetoric claiming that China would not stand for what it views as a violation of its territorial sovereignty, Chinese social media voices are now mocking what many perceive as a spineless official response. [Foreign Policy]
Despite all the online venom to attack the US ship one Chinese Internet user left a popular post which accurately reflects what I think is going on:
China’s shrill online nationalists may dominate the web in the aftermath of a flashpoint, but while common, such online outrage has not led to government action in the past. And some netizens harbor more nuanced perspectives. One particularly discerning Weibo user, who identified himself as a 22-year-old native of China’s northeastern Shandong province, also seemed to take the long view of the South China Sea, noting the behind-the-scenes machinations that make the region so complex. “This seems like a game,” wrote the user in a popular comment. “Not only have both countries maintained their reputations, neither country has suffered any losses.” Another observed somewhat sardonically that the situation, all told, was “well managed.” The user noted that China had “gotten rid of the U.S. ship, maintained its sovereignty, and hasn’t worsened the situation. Afterwards, it can be used as an excuse for militarization in the South China Sea.”
Like I have said before the US’s and China’s interests in the South China Sea do no necessarily come into conflict. From the US perspective we want freedom of navigation through the SCS. From the Chinese perspective they want strategic space to defend the sea lanes leading to the southeastern China and to a lesser extent the fishing and mineral rights. As long as each side respects the others interests in the SCS there is no reason for conflict unless the Chinese government is stupid enough to listen to hateful commenters on the Internet.
The U.S. nuclear-powered Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier sails in waters off South Korea’s largest port city of Busan on Oct. 23, 2015, as it is part of a fleet review that the South Korean Navy held as part of celebrating the 70th anniversary of its founding. (Yonhap)
This naval commander sounds like a candidate for his own reality TV show:
A Navy commander who served as the executive officer of a submarine repair facility in Georgia was relieved of duty on Aug. 24, the Navy announced Monday.
Cmdr. Vincent J. Wood, who was second in charge at the Trident Refit Facility at Kings Bay, was removed from his position because of an ongoing investigation into allegations of personal misconduct, the Navy said.
Wood, who had held his job since April, was removed by Capt. Gunter Braun, commanding officer of the facility. Wood has been administratively reassigned to Submarine Group 10 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
According to the Navy Times, Wood is accused of having an affair with a married civilian employee. The Times said he violated a protective order that required he stay away from the woman.
Quoting a police report, the Times said the two were found together on Aug. 23, and the woman’s husband got into a fight with Wood, who was then hospitalized. Wood suffered “a large contusion to his left eye, several knots on his head, an abrasion to the bridge of his nose, a small cut under his nose, and abrasions to both knees,” according to the report that the Times quoted. [Stars & Stripes]
It is good to see that this former sailor was able to be reunited with daughter:
The words that Navy veteran James Walker had longed to hear for almost 46 years appeared on his Facebook page Saturday.
“Your search is over .. I am found .. i love you Dad,” said the message from a woman claiming to be the daughter he left behind in Japan when he went off to fight in the Vietnam War.
Walker contacted the person who made the post, Emi McGowan of Sarasota, Fla., and then questioned her mother, Tomie Miller of Mesa, Ariz.
“I called her mother, and she told me things that only her mother would know,” he said, noting that he’s been contacted by numerous scam artists claiming to be his daughter since Stars and Stripes ran a story about his search in March.
“You never know if somebody is trying to pull something over on you,” he said.
Now, he’s convinced that his search is over.
Shortly after his daughter’s birth in 1968, Walker got orders to return to the U.S. from Japan. At the time, he was a petty officer third class at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, near Tokyo.
Walker wrote to the girl many times and made other unsuccessful efforts to track her down, including a trip back to their old neighborhood near Atsugi. He credited the Stars and Stripes article, which was translated into Japanese and widely shared on Facebook, with helping him make the breakthrough.
McGowan, who said she has been searching for her father since she was 18, reported that a friend saw the story and sent her the accompanying photo.
“I looked at the baby in the picture and I was looking at myself in the mirror. My face has really not changed,” she said. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read the rest at the link, but Walker’s daughter hasn’t had an easy life because she currently has three kids and is homeless.
