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Philippine history is rife with insurgency - both religious and political - since its colonization by the Spanish in 1521.01 When the United States assumed control of the Philippines after the Paris Treaty of 1898, it inherited both rebellion and insurgency.02 The relationship between the two countries ebbed and flowed until the United States recognized Philippine independence in 1946 and pulled all military bases out of the country in 1992.
The relationship didn't end, it changed. Over time, a number of Muslim insurgencies grew in strength, while the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines waned.03 Organizations in the southern Philippines, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah, exploited the security situation and expanded their operations.04
U.S. involvement in the Philippines from 2001-2015 was directly connected to the attacks of 9/11, terrorist kidnappings of U.S. citizens in the Philippines and the activities of trans-regional terrorist groups. Official U.S. involvement under the umbrella of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines ended in 2015, with the dissolution of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines and the transfer of future SOF operations authority to embassy-based personnel.05 1st Special Forces Group's participation in OEF-P employed the full-spectrum of irregular warfare under a stand-alone SOF headquarters.
Although the United States never broke military ties with the AFP following the closure of U.S. bases in 1992, American involvement was limited to bilateral exercises and joint combined exchange training.06 ASG kidnappings of multiple U.S. citizens in 2000 and 2001 served as a catalyst for the evolution of the nascent American counterterrorism policy in Southeast Asia.07 In early 2000, the State Department counterterrorism coordinator called for SOF to initiate a training program under Title 22, Chapter 22 to build CT capability in a new AFP unit, the Light Reaction Company.08 The attacks of 9/11 defined U.S. policy in the Philippines, where the U.S. Government opened a second front in the war on terror, which was launched under Congressional authorization for military force.09