[20200317]IN11248_如果菲律宾终止访问部队协议怎么办？.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i What If the Philippines Ends the Visiting Forces Agreement? Ben Dolven Specialist in Asian Affairs Thomas Lum Specialist in Asian Affairs March 17, 2020 On February 10, 2020, the Government of the Philippines submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Manila a “notice of termination” of the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA governs the legal status of U.S. military forces operating in the Philippines and establishes rules by which U.S. troops, vessels and aircraft may enter the country. The notification started a 180-day review period; the agreement itself will expire at the end of that time. The VFA has been in effect since 1999, eight years after the Philippines rejected a treaty that would have extended the U.S. lease of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base and ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Philippines. The move raises uncertainties about the future of U.S.-Philippine military cooperation, an important part of the U.S. security posture in Asia. The Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally, and the termination of the VFA would not change that status. However, broad aspects