The US Navy is planning to establish a military storage facility near its former base in the Philippines’ Subic Bay, which faces disputed areas in the South China Sea.
It is looking to lease a 25,778-square-meter (277,471-square-foot) “climate-controlled warehouse and maintenance shop, exterior laydown and parking areas” for five years within the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Freeport area, according to a Request for Lease Proposal.
The hub will be used “for storage and maintenance of vehicles and vehicle equipment,” and must be able to house up to 63 personnel, with operations anticipated to begin by September 2026.
Additionally, the service specified that the facility must be situated within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the Naval Supply Depot.
This development follows the navy’s previous solicitation in April seeking storage facilities with an area size of approximately 19,979 to 33,022 square meters (215,017 to 355,576 square feet) within Subic Bay or Clark, with a proposed lease duration of up to 10 years.
Subic Bay’s Significance
Subic Bay was one of the largest US naval bases in Asia until the amended Military Bases Agreement of 1947 expired in 1991.
Following the rejection of a lease extension by the Philippine government, the base was closed, and US forces were withdrawn by 1992.
It was then converted into a special economic zone, with much of the naval infrastructure and equipment being either shipped out or repurposed.
However, the US military presence gradually returned when it began using portions of the former base for joint exercises with the Philippine Armed Forces starting in 2012.
While Washington’s September request for a military storage hub remains pending, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. expressed in June that the government welcomes any potential US plans for an ammunition production and storage facility at its former naval base.
“Any production entity which would be of benefit to the Philippines, not only in terms of our resilience, but improving, giving employment, and other technological transfers, that might be encouraged,” news outlet Inquirer quoted Teodoro as saying.
