ThinkTankWeekly

Pentagon Adds to Pacific Refueling Capacity With New Philippine Depot

USNI | 2026-04-07 | china_indopacific

Topics: China, Indo-Pacific, United States

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English Summary

The Pentagon plans to open a 41-million-gallon Defense Fuel Support Point near Davao in the southern Philippines by 2028, storing naval and aviation fuel to support U.S. military operations. The depot's location on Mindanao offers an alternative refueling point away from South China Sea-facing ports like Subic and Manila that could be vulnerable in a conflict with China, while providing access near the Sulu Sea transit routes used by carrier strike groups. The Davao site is part of a broader network of forward-based refueling hubs—including upcoming depots in Papua New Guinea and Darwin, Australia—designed to strengthen U.S. sustainment capabilities along the first island chain, the primary defense line identified in recent U.S. strategy documents for deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.

中文摘要

五角大廈計劃於2028年前在菲律賓南部達沃附近啟用一座容量4,100萬加侖的國防燃料支援站,儲存海軍及航空燃料以支援美軍行動。該燃料庫位於民答那峨島,提供了一個替代補給點,避開蘇比克及馬尼拉等面向南海、在中國衝突情境下易受攻擊的港口,同時可就近利用航母打擊群經常使用的蘇祿海過境航線。達沃站點是更廣泛前沿燃料補給樞紐網絡的一環,該網絡還包括巴布亞紐幾內亞及澳洲達爾文即將建設的燃料庫,旨在強化美國沿第一島鏈的後勤維持能力——第一島鏈是近期美國戰略文件中確立的印太地區嚇阻中國的主要防線。

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