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The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), between the United States of America and the Philippines, was signed on April 28, 2014 in Manila, the Philippines. The agreement was signed by Philippine Defense Secretary, Voltaire Gazmin, and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg, and was timed during an official state visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.〔Joel Guinto, Margaret Talev and Phil Mattingly, ("U.S., Philippines Sign Defense Pact Amid China Tensions" ) ''Bloomberg'', April 28, 2014〕 The ten-year accord is the first substantial military agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines since American troops withdrew from the Philippines naval base in 1992.〔Juliet Eilperin, ("U.S., Philippines to sign 10-year defense agreement amid rising tensions" ) ''The Washington Post'', April 28, 2014〕 The EDCA seeks to bolster the U.S. – Philippines security relationship by allowing the United States to station troops and operations on Philippine territory. However, the Agreement clearly states that the U.S. is not allowed to establish a permanent base. The Agreement also stipulates that the U.S. is not allowed to store or position any nuclear weapons on Philippine territory.〔Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, ("Q&A on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement" ) ''Official Gazette'', April 28, 2014〕 ==Background== The U.S. acquired the Philippines from Spain after the Spanish–American War of 1898 and then fought the Philippine–American War against Philippine revolutionaries to secure their rule. After both wars, the Philippines was a territory of the United States from 1898 to 1946. The United States granted the Philippines independence in 1946.〔("Philippines: A Country Study" ) Federal Research Division, U.S. Library of Congress〕 The Mutual Defense Treaty was signed in 1951 and ratified in 1952 by the governments of the United States and the Philippines. The purpose of the Treaty was to "strengthen the fabric of peace" in the Pacific, by formally adopting an agreement to defend each other's territory in the case of external attack.〔The Avalon Project, ("Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines; August 30, 1951" ) Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library〕 In line with this treaty, the United States maintained several military bases in the Philippines, including Subic Bay Naval Base and the Clark Air Base. In 1992, the bases close after the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would extend the bases' lease by a close vote. The treaty was rejected because of U.S. reluctance to set a firm time frame for troop withdrawal and to guarantee that no nuclear weapons would pass through the base.〔David E. Sanger, ("Philippines Orders U.S. to Leave Strategic Navy Base at Subic Bay" ) ''The New York Times'', December 28, 1991〕 The Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was signed by the governments of the Philippines and the United States in 1998, and came in to effect in 1999. This was the first military agreement since the closing of U.S. bases in 1992. The VFA outlined a set of guidelines for the conduct and protection of American troops visiting the Philippines. The Agreement also stipulated the terms and conditions for American military to pass through or land in Philippine territory. The VFA is a reciprocal agreement in that not only does it outline the guidelines for U.S. troops visiting the Philippines but also for Philippine troops visiting the United States.〔("Visiting Forces Agreement" ) U.S. Department of State, 1998〕 The signing of the VFA led to the establishment of annual bilateral military exercises between the U.S. and the Philippine known as Balikatan, as well as a variety of other cooperative measures.〔("Frequently Asked Questions: Visiting Forces Agreement" ) Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement〕 The Balikatan training exercises ("shoulder-to-shoulder") are annual military exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines. They are structured to maintain and develop the security relationship between the two countries' armed forces through crisis-action planning, enhanced training to conduct counterterrorism operations, and promoting interoperability of the forces.〔Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, ("PH-US Balikatan Exercises to Start in May" ) Armed Forces of the Philippine, April 21, 2014〕 Over the years the exercises have expanded to include surrounding other countries in Southeast Asia. The trainings have also had a shifting focus. During the U.S.-led "War on Terror" the annual Balikatan Exercises focused on training for counterterrorism missions.〔 There has been some controversy over these exercises; a growing number of Philippine people are angry over the continued presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines.〔Sandy Araneta, ("Student activists protesting Balikatan deface US embassy seal" ) ''The Philippine Star'', April 17, 2012〕 Disaster relief and crisis response has since become an important focus of the U.S.–Philippine security relationship especially following Typhoon Yolanda (also known as Typhoon Haiyan), and is a key impetus of the EDCA agreement. The United States Marines were among the first to arrive in the Philippines after the devastating typhoon hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. At the immediate request of the Philippine government, U.S. and international relief agencies arrived three days after the storm to provide aid and assistance to the thousands of injured and homeless.〔Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Kenneth Lewis, ("Marines Provide Disaster Relief in the Philippines" ) U.S. Department of Defense, November 11, 2013〕 The United States government provided over $37 million in aid.〔("Fact Sheet: U.S. Response to Typhoon Haiyan" ) The White House, November 19, 2013〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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