March 21, 1947: Creation of the Joint US Military Assistance Group
Image: JUSMAG-Philippines.
Following the signing of the Military Bases Agreement between the Philippines and the United States on March 14, 1947, a Joint United States Military Assistance Group to the Republic of the Philippines was established one week later.
The military assistance group was commonly called JUSMAG. The purpose of the organization was to provide United States security assistance to the Philippines and to promote regional stability in Southeast Asia.
The JUSMAG concept is still a current and active component of American foreign and defense policies.
The JUSMAG was located at the American Embassy on Roxas Boulevard along Manila Bay. The Chief of JUSMAG had to adhere with two chains of command. One chain was military, and the other was the United States Ambassador to the Philippines.
This joint chain of command was designed to have cooperation and recommendations in American Foreign and Defense policies.
The main tasks of JUSMAG were military exercise coordination, military education and training to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), international military students, exchange military programs and the United States Department of Defense visitation program.
The visitation program exposed American personnel to the Philippine government and military. This visitation program enhanced the alliance between the US and the Philippines.
The JUSMAG concept was not only established in the Philippines. The United States had JUSMAG located in American Embassies throughout the world. In Asia, there was a JUSMAG in Thailand and South Korea. The JUSMAG played a significant role in supporting American allies during the Cold War.
Since the JUSMAG was created in the Philippines on March 21, 1947, all Philippine presidents have maintained defense cooperation and advancement with the United States through JUSMAG.
Several of the Philippine presidents were very nationalistic in their rhetoric during public speeches criticizing American military involvement in the Philippines. However, none of them canceled the benefits of JUSMAG.
During the Elpidio Quirino administration, 1948 to 1953, there was a steady growth of the Hukbalahap movement in Central Luzon. Due to the security concerns of the Americans and Filipinos, the JUSMAG pressured President Quirino to appoint Ramon Magsaysay as the Secretary of National Defense.
The JUSMAG then entreated President Quirino to assign Lt. Colonel Edward Lansdale as the personal advisor to Ramon Magsaysay in defeating the Hukbalahap insurgency. Lansdale was an Air Force officer who was well-versed in Philippines history, culture and society. He was detailed from the US Air Force to the Central Intelligence Agency.
Currently, with tensions mounting in the South China Sea over the People’s Republic of China’s aggressive behavior, the JUSMAG in the Philippines will play a significant and expanded role in the Indo-Pacific defense.
Dennis Edward Flake is the author of three books on Philippine-American history. He is a Public Historian and a former park ranger in interpretation for the National Park Service at the Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, PA. He can be contacted at: flakedennis@gmail.com
