Philippines holds joint drills with US, Australia, Canada

MANILA, Philippines —  Teaming up for the first time, warships from Australia, Canada, the Philippines and the United States are now sailing the waters of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in a two-day Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) aimed at promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the respective air force assets of the four allied nations are also participating in the exercise scheduled Aug. 6 and 7 within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In a joint statement, Admiral David Johnston, Australian chief of Defense Force; Gen. M. A. Jennie Carignan, Canadian chief of Defense Staff; Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., AFP chief of staff and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said the MMCA seeks to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

The ranking military officials announced yesterday that the joint sail demonstrates “our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

They declared that the naval and air force units of participating nations will operate together, enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the four armed forces.

“We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order,” the military officials said. “Our four nations reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute.”

The AFP said the exercise will feature a variety of naval and air assets from the participating nations, with the Philippines fielding the BRP Jose Rizal with a AW159 helicopter and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

Australia’s involvement features a Poseidon Aircraft and Canada deployed the HMCS Montreal and a Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter.

The AFP added that the United States military contributed the USS Lake Erie and a Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter for the MMCA, which forms part of a series of events designed to enhance interoperability and cooperation among the participating forces.

Among the events are the pre-sail briefing, communication exercise, division tactics/officer of the watch maneuver, photographic exercise, cross deck landing operations, anti-submarine warfare exercise, replenishment at sea, contact reporting/maritime domain awareness, and a final exercise.

Chinese ships

There were no traces of Chinese activity monitored in Panatag Shoal, but three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships were seen tailing or observing the ongoing MMCA in the WPS, the AFP said yesterday.

“Initial reports from the ground indicate no trace of Chinese military activity in the area of Bajo de Masinloc as of Aug. 7. Aside from the usual illegal encroachment and presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels, we have not monitored any purported exercise or combat patrols,” the AFP public affairs office said.

“We can, however, confirm the presence of three PLA Navy vessels, namely PLA-Navy Wuzhou Jiangdao II Class Corvette, PLA-Navy Huangshan Jiankai II Class Corvette and PLA-Navy Qujing Jiangdao II Class Corvette, that tailed the ongoing MMCA. Nevertheless, the safety of our personnel and the overall conduct of the MMCA remains an utmost priority,” the AFP added.

The AFP said the most recent Chinese exercise in the northern part of the South China Sea happened from July 31 to Aug. 2, but it was carried out outside the Philippine EEZ.

“The AFP, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and other relevant agencies, will continue to monitor the situation as part of our mandate to protect our territory, sovereignty and sovereign rights based on international law,” the military said.

The AFP has conducted several MCAs with other allied military forces in the WPS in the past months.

Just last week, the Japanese warship JS Sazanami sailed in the WPS alongside the Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal, a month after the signing of a Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan allowing joint military training exercises between the two nations.

China, deploying two PLAN vessels, monitored the exercise and were observed tailing the formation within four nautical miles and 4.9 nautical miles, respectively. - Pia Lee-Brago