The United States has deployed American servicemen to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in conducting maritime operations there.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III disclosed that he visited the US Task Force Ayungin stationed in Palawan.

“I visited the Command and Control (C2) Fusion Center in Palawan today [Tuesday]. I also met with some American service members deployed to US 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 the ongoing tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines and the United States maintain a longstanding military alliance under the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Austin also visited the AFP Western Command, which carries out operations in the WPS.

The US official surveyed the growing defense cooperation between Manila and Washington.

US Task Force Ayungin is named after Ayungin Shoal, a feature in WPS where the Philippine Navy’s landing ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, was run aground to serve as a military outpost.

The shoal has been the scene of violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces the past months, with the most recent incident resulting in the loss of a thumb by a Navy sailor and damage to Philippine boats and equipment.

The revelation of the existence of the US task force came a day after Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement on 18 November.