The United States government has deployed American servicemen to operate a new task force aimed at assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in conducting maritime operations at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS or South China Sea, internationally).

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III revealed that he visited the American servicemen stationed with the US Task Force Ayungin in Palawan province.

“I visited the Command and Control (C2) Fusion Center in Palawan today [Tuesday]. I also met with some American service members deployed to U.S. 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,” Austin said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The task force was established amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, with China claiming the territorial waters as its own.

The Philippines and the United States maintain a long-standing military alliance supported by the Mutual Defense Treaty. Both countries have pledged to uphold international rules and order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Austin also visited the AFP Western Command, which oversees operations in the WPS, to assess the growing defense cooperation between Manila and Washington.

Limited information about US Task Force Ayungin is available at this time.

The task force is named after the Ayungin Shoal, a feature in the WPS where the Philippine Navy’s commissioned BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) ran aground, serving as the country’s military outpost in the area.

The shoal has been the site of violent confrontations between the China Coast Guard and the AFP in recent months, including a recent incident that resulted in a navy personnel losing a thumb and damages to military resupply equipment.

The existence of US Task Force Ayungin was revealed a day after Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on 18 November.

GSOMIA is a legal agreement negotiated between the US government and a foreign government, designed to enhance, expand, and expedite information sharing and cooperation in defense technology between the two nations.

Austin said the center is expected to facilitate real-time information sharing for a common operating picture and serve as a venue where both nations can work side by side to address regional challenges.