Dennis Blair has made the recommendation to a Senate panel Wednesday, a day after an international tribunal invalidated the legal basis of Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea.
Blair said the objective is not to pick a fight with China at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, but to set a limit on its military coercion.
The Philippines is a U.S. ally but their treaty is ambiguous about whether the U.S. would come to its defense in disputed territory.
A 2012 standoff at Scarborough Shoal between China and the Philippines prompted Manila to launch the arbitration case. (AP)
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