The agreement reached between the United States and the Philippines in 2023, expanding American access to four additional Philippine military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, was one of the most strategically significant military basing decisions in the western Pacific since the 1991 closure of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station. The locations matter more than the number. One of the four new sites is in Cagayan province on the northern tip of Luzon — the closest Philippine territory to Taiwan, roughly 200 miles from the southern end of the island. American forces with access to this location have a forward operating position that changes the geometry of any Taiwan contingency response.