PHL, Australia hold drills in south
THE PHILIPPINE and Australian armies held joint combat exercises in the southern Philippines last week, bolstering military cooperation between the nations as tensions persist in the contested South China Sea.
In a statement, the Philippine Army said it conducted “practical combat” drills alongside their Australian counterparts in Bukidnon province to help foster interoperability in urban and rural warfare, including tactical maneuvers under “high-stress conditions.”
“Philippine Army troops and their Australian counterparts focused on the real-time evaluation of their interoperability, operational readiness and tactical capabilities in conducting the said drills,” it said on Monday.
“Training contingents also sharpened their combat skills by conducting small-unit maneuvers, counter-ambush drills and tactical coordination in both urban and rural settings to assess their adaptability and unit cohesion,” it added.
The combat drills are part of the broader Exercise Kasangga — Filipino for ally — that would see Filipino and Australian troops rehearse in war-like conditions amid regional security concerns due to China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea and beyond.
Manila is seeking to expand its security ties with other western countries and regional allies as it counters Beijing’s sweeping claims over the disputed waterway that overlap with the Southeast Asian nation’s exclusive economic zone.
China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map, which a United Nations-backed arbitration court in The Hague voided in 2016 for being illegal.
Australia has also grappled with China’s naval presence near its waters. The People’s Liberation Army Navy earlier this year conducted live-fire drills in international waters within the Tasman Sea, more than 8,000 kilometers away from Hainan Island, China’s nearest major landmass, which separates Australia and New Zealand.
Filipino and Australian soldiers also performed combat casualty care simulations during the drills, helping their forces develop expertise in first-aid operations in warfighting situations.
“Training participants also conducted a series of practical medical exercises such as battlefield triage and casualty evacuation under fire and treatment of critical injuries,” the Philippine Army said.
Also last week, the Philippines’ top security adviser met with a US Congress delegation in Quezon City, where they highlighted the need to foster deeper security ties amid regional challenges.
National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año talked with the US delegation led by Michigan Rep. John R. Moolenaar, reaffirming their commitments to work together in advancing their countries’ mutual interests in the Indo-Pacific region, the National Security Council said.
“The US delegation expressed continued support for the Philippines’ efforts in safeguarding sovereignty and upholding a rules-based international order,” it said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The Philippines and US maintain a decades-old alliance buoyed by a mutual defense treaty and strong economic ties, and both countries have sought to strengthen security cooperation and enhance force interoperability in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the region. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
