The Wall Street Journal reports that “U.S. forces will soon have access to five Philippine military bases, some strategically positioned in the disputed South China Sea, as the allies forge ahead with plans to station American troops in the Southeast Asian country for the first time in almost a quarter-century.”  

“After two days of high-level talks in Washington, the Philippine Embassy there announced that four Philippine air bases and one army camp will be opened up to the U.S. under the terms of a defense pact signed in 2014.”  

“U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit Manila in April to finish the details of the deployments, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight said at the talks.”