Philippine and US coast guards hold first sea exercises in South China Sea

COAST GUARD vessels of the Philippines and the US took part for the first time in joint sea exercises with naval and air force units in the South China Sea, the Philippine military said on Wednesday.

The exercises, held on Tuesday in waters off Palawan and Occidental Mindoro, involved the Philippine Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, alongside the US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

The “maritime cooperative activity,” which was the second for the year and sixth overall since the allies launched the joint activities in 2023, included communication drills and search-and-rescue scenarios, the military said in a statement.

“Joint activities like the maritime cooperative activity reaffirm the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) commitment to modernizing its capabilities and strengthening defense partnerships to secure our national and regional maritime interests,” AFP chief General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said in the statement.

A Philippine Navy patrol ship and gunboat took part in the drills, joined by two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol vessels and the Stratton.

A Philippine Navy helicopter, the Philippine Air Force’s turboprop attack plane and choppers and the Poseidon aircraft took part in surveillance and operational coordination exercises over Philippine waters.

The Philippines and US, which are long-time treaty allies, are working together to bolster defense coordination amid increased Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route that is believed to be rich in minerals and oil deposits.

The drills simulated “real-world scenarios” involving tactical ship maneuvers, search and rescue operations and communication exercises, and was the sixth iteration of the maritime rehearsal between the two countries, the PCG said in a separate statement on Tuesday.

The sea drills reinforced the Philippines and US’ commitment to uphold maritime security and a “rules-based international order,” it said.

“This exercise is about ensuring readiness, saving lives and supporting our shared maritime responsibilities,” PCG Commander for Palawan Commodore Weniel A. Azcuna said in the statement.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map, putting it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Beijing continues to assert sovereignty over the waterway despite a 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed tribunal that voided its claim for being illegal.

The maritime drills coincided with the Philippines and Australia’s first military exercises in southern Philippines, where their armies held combat drills to enhance urban and jungle warfare tactics.

Three platoons of the Philippine Army’s infantry and combat engineer units will hold a month-long drill alongside their Australian Army counterparts in Mindanao, where they will perform combat interoperability exercises in land warfare, the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.

The Philippines seeks to expand its security ties with other western countries and regional allies as it faces an increasingly assertive China over disputed features in the South China Sea.

Already tied with a visiting forces agreement with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the Southeast Asian nation also seeks similar military pacts with France and Canada after signing a security deal with Germany for expanded cooperation in the cybersecurity space, weaponry and logistics.

Dubbed as Exercise Kasangga — Filipino for ally — the exercise will see Filipino and Australian troops in “real-world training scenarios” that will challenge their techniques in breaching enemy positions, unit mobility and reconnaissance operations.

The joint exercise comes on the heels of the Philippine-US Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games and will coincide with Exercise Kamandag (poison), a multinational exercise involving the US, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Japan forces on coastal defense operations throughout the main island of Luzon. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio