Images show aid bound for Ukraine, not Philippines | Fact check
Nate TrelaThe claim: Images show military equipment shipped to Philippines from US
A June 24 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows images of cargo being prepared for shipment at a military base.
“In a major operation, the United States flew thousands of munitions, weapons and other military equipment to the Philippines,” the post reads. “The flight was conducted by the US Air Force’s 60th Air Port Squadron, which loaded cargo onto a Boeing 737 aircraft at Travis Air Force Base, California today. The aircraft is scheduled to land at Clark military base in the Philippines. Thousands of (sic) cargo are loaded onto a Boeing 737 aircraft at Travis Air Force Base, California on June 22, 2024. The plane will land at Clark military base in the Philippines."
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Our rating: False
The photos were not taken at Travis Air Force Base, nor do they show weapons sent to the Philippines. The photos were screenshots from videos related to aid being shipped to Ukraine.
South China Sea incidents did not spur US weapons shipments
The post was first shared in the days after a June 17 confrontation between the Chinese coast guard and the Philippine navy in the South China Sea, which China has largely claimed as its own despite international disagreement. The U.S. and the Philippines have had a mutual defense pact in effect since 1951, five years after the islands were granted independence from the U.S.
However, the images in the post do not show military equipment being shipped to the Philippines from Travis Air Force Base in California. Rather, all three images are screenshots from videos showing military equipment being sent to Ukraine from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
The two images showing pallets of cargo come from a Feb. 10, 2022, video posted by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, which shares video of U.S. military activity around the globe. The video shows military equipment being prepared for shipment from Dover Air Force Base to Ukraine as part of the U.S.'s ongoing commitment to supply the Ukrainians amid the war with Russia.
The image of a truck full of cargo comes from a July 29, 2022, video also posted by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. The video is also identified as being taken at Dover Air Force Base, and the caption says it shows humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine.
Fact check: No, NATO hasn't said Ukraine aid will be mandatory for members
The Facebook post also says the mission was being handled by the Air Force’s “60th Air Port Battalion,” which does not exist. Travis is the home of the Air Force's 60th Air Mobility Wing, the 349 Air Mobility Wing and the 621st Contingency Response Wing, according to Military OneSource, an Armed Forces website that provides resources for active-duty military families.
No credible media outlets have reported that the U.S. has sent military aid to the Philippines in response to the interactions with China’s coast guard. Philippine Armed Forces Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner told Reuters the nation declined U.S. offers to provide operational assistance. In a televised news conference on June 21, advisors to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the nation would not invoke the mutual defense pact.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.
Check Your Fact and AFP also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- DVIDS, Feb. 10, 2022, Dover AFB hosts ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the US
- DVIDS, July 29, 2022, Dover AFB supports US, Ukraine strategic partnership
- Military OneSource, accessed July 5, Travis Air Force Base |Base Overview & Info
- Associated Press, June 21, Philippines won’t invoke mutual defense treaty with US after Chinese confrontation at disputed shoal
- Reuters, July 5, Exclusive: Philippines turned down US help amid South China Sea tensions - military chief
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