United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be in Manila June 1 to discuss bilateral security issues with his counterpart Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

Speaking on Saturday at a security forum in Singapore on America's security role in the Asia-Pacific region, Gates said he was looking forward to his Manila visit, adding that US ties with the Philippines have deepened with bilateral cooperation on various fronts.

Gates and Teodoro will meet Monday morning in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

"Our alliance with the Philippines has deepened as we tackle challenges ranging from terrorism to disaster relief to defense reform," he said at the 8th International Institute for Strategic Studies Asian Security Summit.

Anti-piracy

Another area Gates cited was the bilateral and multilateral cooperation on maritime security and anti-piracy.

"One of the areas in which we are most engaged is maritime security – and efforts to combat piracy and proliferation. United States Pacific Command works closely with a number of nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and more – to provide the training and equipment, from radars to patrol craft, enabling them to assert control over waterways that have been used by drug smugglers, weapons smugglers, and terrorists," Gates said.

He also mentioned the common effort being undertaken by the international community in fighting pirates off Somalia, and in helping secure shipping routes in the region.

"The United States has also provided assistance to help nations work together: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and others are securing and improving transit routes in the region. And of course, Asian countries have played a major role off the Horn of Africa – with Malaysia, India, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and China all taking part in anti-piracy efforts," Gates said.

Hub and spokes

The US defense secretary said the US was trying to move away from the "hub and spokes" security architecture in the Asian region.

"For decades after World War II, Asia’s security architecture mostly reflected a 'hub and spokes' model, with the United States as the 'hub' and the 'spokes' representing a series of bilateral alliances with other countries that did not necessarily cooperate much with each other. To be sure, Asia already has a number of formal and informal multilateral institutions," he said.

Gates batted for more multilateral cooperation on security, citing the developments made by regional groups like Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in keeping the peace in the region.

"The ten-member ASEAN, for example, has for decades been the foundation for prosperity and stability in Southeast Asia – relying upon the idea that a broader dialogue spreads trust and stability. Similarly, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum plays an important role in regional development and trade," he said.

"Moving forward, we would like to see a good deal more cooperation among our allies and security partners – more multilateral ties in addition to hubs and spokes. Let me be clear: This does not mean any weakening of our bilateral ties, but rather enhancing security by adding to them multilateral cooperation," Gates said.

"These kinds of efforts have faced no shortage of obstacles. Countries have sometimes found it hard to work with us, or with each other. But we believe that the nations of the region must move in a more multilateral direction in order to deal with the most pressing threats in this era," he added.

More US intervention?

Meanwhile, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) warned that Gates’ visit to Manila may bring about more US intervention in the country.

“We believe this can lead to more US troops stationed in the country under the one-sided Visiting Forces Agreement. The US may be contemplating increased military activity and a more permanent forward presence in this region,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. in a statement.

Bayan said that under the VFA, US forces have been stationed in Mindanao since 2002, even without a basing treaty duly ratified by the Philippine Senate.

US forces under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines are stationed inside Camp Navarro in Zamboanga and hosts a rotating deployment of around 200-300 soldiers. Counterterrorism, along with humanitarian missions, were used as the pretext for the stationing of troops, the group said.

“Arroyo has proven herself to be the number one US cheerleader in this part of Asia. The US rewards her by providing political, financial and military support for her isolated despotic regime,” Reyes said.