US Foreign Military Financing Program for 2018

Just showing the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) Program of the United States (US) for the year 2018. The source of this information is from the Congressional Budget Justification of the Department of State for the Fiscal Year 2020.

So for the year 2018, the US provided the Philippines Usd 40 million in FMF which is, to be fair, is the highest in South East Asia (SEA). However, there are several other countries which are got more than the Philippines for that year, and these are:
* Tunisia = Usd 65 million
* Lebanon = Usd 92 million
* Ukraine = Usd 95 million
* Iraq = Usd 250 million
* Jordan = Usd 425 million
* Egypt = Usd 1.3 billion
* Israel = Usd 3.1 billion

As we can see above, mainly the Middle Eastern countries got a lot more. Now the way I see it, we may be able to get more from the US if we use as leverage the new Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that is being negotiated.

And I think we will have strong leverage since I doubt if any other country in SEA will give them the same type of access like they had with the VFA that is being terminated by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Remember that as per the Rand Corp. article I posted recently, a VFA with the Philippines is very important for the US’ interests in the South China Sea (SCS) and Taiwan.

Without access to the Philippines, US supply lines will have to come a long way off to reach the SCS. Access to the Philippines will also ease any logistical burden on South Korea and Japan in case a conflict occurs in Taiwan.

This also means that if any conflict occurs in Taiwan, then the Philippines could get involved in an indirect way as a staging ground for logistical supplies for US forces. I don’t know if the Duterte Administration will allow something like that, though. You can read about that post from Rand Corp.’s article here.

Personally I think at least Usd 100 million a year compensation would be a good start, to be used directly for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). And there should be no strings attached to that money, it should not be for spending only with US Defense manufacturers, the AFP should be able to buy whatever they want from whomever they want.

Of course it remains to be seen if the Philippine Government will ask for such conditions and if the US will agree to it, let’s just see how things will turn out.

Check out my Links: https://linktr.ee/rhk111

Don’t forget to click on the Ads or to donate to help support this Website