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According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency website, the Philippines has not made any major arms purchase since 2021
Claim: The Philippine government received United States Navy ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11).
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim has over 13,390 views as of writing.
What the video says: Aside from the video’s title which directly stated the claim, the video’s thumbnail also said that the ship was already “delivered” to the Philippines.
The bottom line: The US Navy placed the USS Sioux City into Foreign Military Sale disposition status after it was decommissioned on August 14, 2023. The US government has made no announcements that the Philippine government has purchased the decommissioned ship.
The video with the claim is also not showing clips of the Philippine government receiving the ship. Instead, the video used clips taken during USS Sioux City’s side launch posted on American aerospace company Lockheed Martin Corporation’s official YouTube channel on January 31, 2016.
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Weapons sale process: According to the US Department of State, major defense transfers and sales are “subject to Congressional notification and review.” The US state department’s fact sheet detailed the process for selling defense equipment to other countries:
- A country submits a formal Letter of Request to the US.
- The request is assessed on a case-by-case basis and approved if it is “found to further US foreign policy and national security interests.” The US Congress may also be notified for major defense transfers.
- If approved, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) issues a Letter of Offer and Acceptance specifying the defense articles, training, and support being offered for delivery.
- Major foreign military sales formally notified to Congress are publicly announced on the DSCA website.
The Philippine government’s F-16 aircraft is the most recent major foreign military sale acquisition of the country with the US government, posted on DSCA’s website on June 24, 2021.
No news reports: There have also no been posts from the Department of National Defense (DND), the Philippine Army, the US embassy in the Philippines announcing that USS Sioux City will be given to the Philippines. – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com
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