The Philippines is thinking about its insurgency while we're wanting them to think about China...

via Bloomberg.

 The Philippine president is opposing an offer by the U.S. defense chief and other top American officials to buy F-16 fighter jets, saying such an acquisition would be "utterly useless" because his country needs lighter combat aircraft to fight insurgents.

President Rodrigo Duterte scoffed Thursday night at the offer he said was made in a letter by Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, which came after he was slammed by the U.S. for his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.

Story here. 

I hate to say it but Duterte is right.  That small war inside his country is a much bigger threat for the near term than China.

This is off my head but back during Vietnam we had Air Commandos that would assess a nation's air needs and tailor an affordable package for them...consider it sort of a flying Special Forces Unit that could "force multiply" air forces.

Doesn't seem like we have that capability today.

Even worse.

We're trying to get the Philippines on board with prepping to aid us in the fight against China without taking their priorities into consideration.  Plus we have to "virtue" signal by condemning them for taking the war against drugs seriously?