Treaties and agreements for mutual support and defense link the United States and the Philippines. This relationship traces back to the Manila Bay in 1898. In the years since 1898, the United States' role in the relationship between the two nations has transitioned from occupier, to defender, to liberator, to colonial power, to coexistent partners. Each nation has strategic goals that it would like to accomplish in its relationship with one another. The United States' four strategic goals in the Philippines are accelerating growth through improved competitiveness; strengthening governance, rule of law, and the fight against corruption; investing in people to reduce poverty; and promoting a peaceful and secure Philippines. The United States uses its military to support its strategic goals across the globe. In the Pacific, American military forces fall under the command of United States Pacific Command. The challenge is determining the right American military force best suited to support American strategic goals in the Philippines.

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