By Yao Ke and Huang Jingchao
According to foreign media reports, the US Navy plans to build a large defense fuel facility in the Davao area on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines by 2028. The planned war reserve depot is intended to enhance the US military's wartime logistics resilience, sustained operational capability, and strategic flexibility in and around the first island chain.
Building a Davao fuel hub to expand the forward logistics network
The choice of the Davao Gulf as the site is highly strategic. Located adjacent to the Sulu Sea, the area serves as a key passage for US carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups operating in and out of the first island chain. Establishing a facility here would help sustain long-range operations and provide logistical support for major US naval task forces transiting this critical waterway. It would also offer an alternative supply point for US naval and air assets, alongside existing hubs such as Subic Bay and Manila.
It is important to note that the Davao facility is not an isolated project. Since the Marcos administration resumed defense cooperation with the US in 2022, the US military has been systematically shaping the Philippines into a forward operational hub. This includes the addition of four new military sites, the deployment of the Typhon mid-range missile system, the construction of large prepositioned ammunition depots, and the frequent conduct of joint military exercises. Taken together, these developments indicate that the US is seeking to turn the Philippines into a forward stronghold for containing its strategic competitors.
Implementing a new defense strategy while significantly strengthening military deterrence
The planned Davao facility is a multifunctional strategic stronghold integrating resilient logistics, enhanced operational capability, and geopolitical positioning.
At the logistical level, it contributes to building a more resilient distributed supply network. Located in the interior of Mindanao, the Davao site is more concealed compared with traditional facilities such as Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base, allowing it to avoid concentrated missile strikes to some extent. Once completed, it will become a key node in the US military's emerging distributed, multi-node logistics architecture across the Pacific.
At the operational level, it enhances sustained combat capability and deterrence. With a fuel storage capacity of 41 million gallons, the facility would be able to support high-intensity operations by large formations such as carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups for more than 30 days, significantly boosting US operational endurance in the Western Pacific. Its support coverage extends to hot spot areas in the region, helping ensure secure sea lines of communication and flexible force deployment of the US military.
At the geopolitical level, it helps consolidate a critical node on the southern flank of the first island chain. Positioned near the strategic corridor linking the Sulu Sea and the Luzon Strait, the facility would enable the US to monitor maritime traffic in real time. Regional allies could also leverage the site to integrate fuel supply, force deployment, and intelligence-sharing with US forces, thereby shaping a more favorable regional balance and facilitating the construction of a targeted military encirclement posture.
Reshaping the regional security landscape and undermining ASEAN's strategic autonomy
The Davao facility is far more than a simple fuel depot. It is a carefully placed geopolitical "chess piece" that could significantly disrupt the situation in the South China Sea and across the broader Asia-Pacific.
The US moves to expand its military presence in the Philippines will have a serious impact on ASEAN's strategic autonomy. By strengthening bilateral military alliances with select ASEAN member states such as the Philippines and promoting exclusive small multilateral mechanisms, the US is, in effect, bypassing ASEAN-centered regional dialogue mechanisms. Such actions risk shifting the locus of regional security agenda-setting away from ASEAN, weakening its central role and marginalizing its influence in regional affairs.
It should be noted that building military bases, stockpiling weapons and fuel, and preparing for combat do not bring security. Rather, they increase the risk of military confrontation in the region. By allowing the US to construct operational support facilities on its territory and becoming deeply embedded in Washington's Asia-Pacific military strategy, the Philippines is taking a path that may undermine its normal exchanges and pragmatic cooperation with regional countries. In the long run, this approach risks backfiring and ultimately harming its own interests.
(The author is from the Joint Operations College, National Defense University of the Chinese PLA)