ABS-CBN News (Philippines)
21 May 2015
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Coast Guards in Disputed Waters Acting as Naval “Proxies”
Coast Guards in Disputed Waters Acting as Naval “Proxies”
MANILA – Coast Guards have become increasingly active in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), becoming “proxies” for naval forces, an analyst said.
In his commentary titled “Coast Guards in the South China Sea: Proxy Fighters?” published Wednesday by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Richard Bitzinger said Coast Guards — or the so-called “white-hulled” fleets — have become more active in terms of enforcing maritime rights in disputed waters.
“In the case of Southeast Asia, local coast guards are being increasingly employed as proxies for regional navies when it comes to aggressive enforcement of sovereignty rights, particularly in the South China Sea. As such, coast guards are taking on a greater importance in regional security calculations,” said Bitzinger, a senior fellow and coordinator of the Military Transformations Programme at RSIS in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
IDSS / Online
