United States to double military aid to Philippines; Israel to receive fourth Dolphin submarine from Germany
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    • According to reports, the United States will double military aid to its ally the Philippines, which is engaged in a prolonged maritime standoff with China, according to the foreign department in Manila. The ramping-up of Washington’s defense assistance will see military aid in 2012 jump to $30 million as well as “real-time information sharing” on the Philippines’ maritime territory, Philippines foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez noted. Stressing that this development was before the outbreak of the tensions with China in April, Hernandez said, “We have been making representations for this since last year”. The increased aid was confirmed during the recent U.S. visit of Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin for talks with their U.S. counterparts Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta. 1
    In another development, according to reports, Vice Adm. Ram Rothberg, commander of the Israel Navy, and senior Defense Ministry representatives were in Germany on May 2, 2012, to prepare for receipt of Israel’s fourth nuclear-capable Dolphin submarine. Israel’s Walla website reported that Rothberg and a delegation led by retired Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, Director-General of Israel’s MoD, were meeting with German counterparts in Kiel, home of the shipbuilding division of Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS). The German shipyard has been under contract with the government of Israel since 2005 for the fourth and fifth submarines of the Israeli Navy’s planned six-submarine fleet. Under that 2005 deal, Germany agreed to underwrite one third of construction costs. 2

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