US, French navies hold military drills in Philippine Sea for ‘free’ Indo-Pacific

THE UNITED States and French navies held war games in the Philippine Sea on Tuesday to advance their interoperability “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement on Thursday.

The operations included US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey and the French Navy Aquitane-class frigate FS Bretagne (D655).

“The US 7th Fleet takes regular steps to advance our interoperability with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, as we did during this week’s bilateral operation with our longstanding French Navy allies,” Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, commander of the fleet, said in the statement.

“The work we do together strengthens the combined capabilities of our professional maritime forces and enhances our ability to deter conflict in the region,” he added.

The ships conducted formation sailing, combined communication and simulated refueling at sea, the US 7th Fleet said.

“Our bilateral training affirms the high level of interoperability between French and American navies,” Captain Audrey Boutteville, commanding officer of Bretagne, said in the statement.

“The newly swapped crew of the FS Bretagne continues to ride with high spirits established during RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) as demonstrated with our cooperation with the US Navy in the Philippine Sea,” she added.

The US Navy regularly operates alongside its allies in the Indo-Pacific region as a demonstration of our shared commitment to the rules-based international order, according to the statement.

“Bilateral operations such as this one provide valuable opportunities to train, exercise and develop tactical interoperability across allied navies in the Indo-Pacific,” it added.

In the same statement, Commander Nicholas Maruca, commanding officer of the USS Dewey, said professional engagement with allies, partners and friends operating in the region allows them to build upon strong relationships and learn from each other.

“These sails are great opportunities to enhance interoperability, information sharing and combined warfighting capabilities with our partners and allies through realistic scenarios across a number of warfare areas.”

Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, the US Navy’s largest destroyer squadron and the US 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

The US 7th Fleet is the US Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and “it routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Also on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its Chinese counterpart has been using militia vessels as part of its maritime operations, citing interactions between the two forces at Sabina Shoal.

A Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel registered under China’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission that arrived in Sabina did not inspect Chinese maritime militia vessels gathered within the shoal for compliance with fishery laws.

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“Instead of conducting inspections, they interacted with the crew of the Chinese maritime militia as if they were familiar acquaintances, sharing meals together,” PCG spokesman Jay Tristan Tarriela said in an X post.

“It is evident that no formal boarding procedures were carried out by the China Coast Guard to question the Chinese maritime militia’s intentions, despite their prolonged presence without any signs of fishing,” he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

Mr. Tarriela said this showed that the Chinese maritime militia is recognized by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) as an integral part of its maritime operations, “aiding in encroaching upon the exclusive economic zones of other countries throughout the South China Sea.”

“These state-subsidized maritime militia support the CCG and the People’s Liberation Army Navy in intimidating neighboring maritime states such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines,” he added.

Mr. Tarriela said the Chinese Coast Guard should not be entrusted with the responsibilities of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to board fishing vessels, noting that their “true objective is not to combat illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.”

“The People’s Republic of China’s aim appears to be the innovative legitimization of its unlawful presence and activities in the West Philippine Sea, disguised under the pretense of maritime law enforcement,” he said, referring to parts of the South China Sea that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The US-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in February said an average of 195 Chinese militia ships were present near disputed areas of the South China Sea including Philippine features on any given day last year, a 35% increase from a year earlier.

These were composed of professional militia vessels out of Hainan province and the “Spratly Backbone Fleet,” which consists of commercial vessels subsidized to operate in disputed waters to support Chinese sovereignty claims, it said.

The Philippines has been monitoring the presence of Chinese vessels at Sabina Shoal, which is part of the Spratly Islands and falls within the Philippine EEZ. It is 123.6 nautical miles from Palawan Island, which is facing the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, the Philippine Navy noted that Chinese research vessel Ke Xue San Hao, which is equipped with advanced technology designed for marine environment observation, was still near Sabina over a week after it left a major Chinese military outpost in the South China Sea.

Its “zig-zag” movement “indicates something else,” which is no longer an innocent passage, it said.

The Navy said it had spotted Ke Xue San Hao, 12 Chinese maritime militia vessels and one China Coast Guard ship at the shoal from July 30 to Aug. 4. — Norman P. Aquino and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza