Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XXII, Southeast Asia and the Pacific

297. Memorandum From the Director of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Hannifin) to Secretary of Defense Brown¹

JCSM–348–77

Washington, August 19, 1977

SUBJECT

• Reductions in US Philippine Military Presence (S)

1. (S) Reference a memorandum by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, 27 April 1977,² subject as above, which requested that the Joint Chiefs of Staff review plans³ of the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Air Force concerning reductions in US military presence in the Philippines for their impact on the US military posture in the Pacific.

2. (S) The US Naval Base complex at Subic Bay and the airbase at Clark are essential for support of the CINCPAC mission in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. These bases, and the forces they support, are very important elements of US forward strategy and serve as visible reminders to US allies of US national commitment.

3. (S) Implementation of the personnel reduction plans provided by the Secretary of the Navy would have a severe impact on US naval capabilities in the Pacific. Forward bases permit more efficient operations and a higher level of operations with the given level of mobile logistic support. A 10-percent reduction would cause substantial loss in the capability to maintain Seventh Fleet readiness, responsiveness, and flexibility. A 30-percent reduction, with contracting alternatives, would degrade the support capabilities at Subic Bay to the point where expansion at other bases in the Western Pacific would be necessary. Appendix A⁴ contains further details of the impact on the Navy of the reduction plan provided by the Secretary of the Navy.

4. (S) The Secretary of the Air Force plans identify management initiatives already programmed equating to an approximate 10-percent cut in Air Force presence. Other relocation actions which would not reduce the Air Force’s combat capabilities and support to other Services in the Western Pacific would enable the Air Force to make additional personnel reductions of approximately 20 percent. These actions, however, would increase US presence in the ROK and Japan. Further details on the impact of Air Force personnel reductions and relocation are contained in Appendix B.⁵

5. (S) The Navy and the Air Force have already completed transfer of those functions and operations which can be performed by the Philippines without having a detrimental effect on US operations and base negotiations. Except in a few limited instances, additional contracting is neither feasible nor desirable because of strike potential, reduced flexibility, operational difficulties, and possible impact on the Military Bases Agreement negotiations (see Appendix C).⁶

6. (S) It is important that any reduction in US presence in the Philippines be considered in the context of its potential effect on future US-Philippine base negotiations. Further, any reductions should be considered in conjunction with other ongoing personnel/facility reductions elsewhere in Asia, particularly since the nearly simultaneous and appreciable reductions in the ROK, Taiwan, and the Philippines would probably have a distinct, negative effect on Asian perceptions of US resolve throughout the region. In this regard, any relocation and reduction of major US headquarters at this time could have a particularly unfavorable impact. Accordingly, a decision on relocation of Headquarters, 13th Air Force, should be deferred until its impact on US-Philippine base negotiations and, in conjunction with other ongoing reductions, its effect on perception of US resolve and staying power in the region can be reassessed.

For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

Patrick J. Hannifin
Vice Admiral, USN
Director, Joint Staff

1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 330–80–0017, 78, Untitled. Secret. Copies were sent to the Directors of DCA, DIA, and NSA.
2. Not found.
3. (1) Memorandum by the Secretary of the Navy, 13 June 1977, “Reductions in Our Philippine Military Presence (S)—INFORMATION MEMORANDUM.” (2) Memorandum by the Secretary of the Air Force, 1 July 1977, “Reductions in our Philippine Military Presence—INFORMATION MEMORANDUM (U).” [Footnote in the original.]
4. Appendix A, an undated paper entitled “Impact of Personnel Reductions at Subic Naval Base/Cubi Point,” is attached but not printed.
5. Appendix B, an undated paper entitled “Impact of Personnel Reductions/Relocations at Clark Air Base,” is attached but not printed.
6. Not attached.