WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said June 12 it plans to provide a land-based radar to the Philippines, as the country faces an escalating dispute with China over territorial rights off its shore.
The radar would form part of a “watch center” to help track ships off the island nation’s coast line, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.
“We are in the initial planning stages of assisting the Philippines with a National Coast Watch Center,” Major Catherine Wilkinson told AFP.
“This center will improve their maritime domain awareness of a breadth of security issues, including counter-proliferation of (weapons of mass destruction) to countering illegal smuggling,” she said.
The cost and the timeline for the project were still being worked out, she said.
Plans to provide a powerful radar to the Philippines came after Philippine President Benigno Aquino paid a visit last week to the White House, where he was offered a robust show of support.
Manila has asked for the radar system and other military assistance to bolster its position in a row with Beijing over the Scarborough Shoal, which lies near the main Philippine island of Luzon.
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