US Bases in the Philippines

Abstract

In 1884 the Spanish government started to construct a naval station in the typhoon-safe and deep sea bay of Subic, 50 kilometres northeast of Manila, which is an excellent natural harbour. Shortly before the arrival of Admiral Dewey, who destroyed the Spanish fleet in 1898 and initiated the American presence in the Philippines, the port had been finished by the Spaniards and several buildings — including an arsenal — had been erected. With an Executive Order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901, the US established its first military base in the country. Two thousand eight hundred hectares at Subic Bay, including the area where Olongapo City is located today, became a military reservation for the US navy. In 1903, the US declared 3420 hectares of land in Pampanga, 80 kilometres north of Manila, a US military reservation for its cavalry. This Tort Stotsenburg’ was enlarged to accommodate Clark Airfield in 1918. Today, Subic Naval Base, headquarters of the US Seventh Fleet, and Clark Air Base, home of the US Air Force’s 13th Squadron, are the two most important US military installations overseas.