The Department of the Navy is looking to lease a climate-controlled facility between 19,000 and 33,000 square meters near Subic Bay and Clark for the storage of equipment in the Philippines by 2026 under a ten-year-long lease which could mark the largest prepositioning effort to date between Washington and Manila since 1992.
According to solicitation documents on the proposed lease, this new facility would be utilized for “storage and maintenance of vehicles and vehicle equipment.” While the Navy specified its preference for a 33,022 square meter facility, the minimum requirements encompass 19,979 square meters. Both projections dwarf a previously leased 5,300 square meter warehouse at Naval Support Depot in Subic Bay, which is set to support U.S. Marine Corps staging efforts in the Philippines and throughout the region.
Navy documents specify that the climate-controlled facility must be within 60 miles of the Naval Support Depot and under the jurisdiction of either the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority or the Clark Economic Freeport Zone. The Port of Subic Bay, formerly Naval Station Cubi Point, receives a flurry of American maritime activity every Spring as U.S. forces surge into the Philippines for military drills.
Subic Bay has been the recent focus of alleged Chinese spies, who documented U.S. vessels entering the strategic bay and equipment being staged for Balikatan 2025.
If the project adheres to the Navy’s preferences, the dimensions of the planned warehouse at Luzon are larger than Marine Corps Prepositioning Plan – Norway’s largest stockpile at Tromsdal.
Numerous maintenance shops for electronics, vehicles and communications equipment were also specified in the solicitation. While the storage of munitions was not explicitly mentioned, an ARMAG high security modular armory facility is set to be provided by the Marine Corps. Approximately 69-100 personnel are expected to work at the facility.
Amid tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, U.S.-Philippine defense cooperation has seen ever-increasing numbers of American troops in the archipelago to train alongside their counterparts in drills such as Balikatan. However, these forces have had to contend with a lack of infrastructure. The withdrawal of American military bases from the Philippines over three decades ago also meant the departure of equipment storage and maintenance facilities.
In recent years, American investments in improving U.S.-Philippine military infrastructure have expanded at Subic Bay and the nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites. These select Philippine military bases allow rotationally deployed U.S. forces and American-funded projects.
If pursued, the lease will permit American forces to store and maintain equipment on Philippine soil from 2026 to 2036. The solicitation also specified that the Navy seeks a lease with no renewal options.
