THE United States, Canada, and the Philippines, yesterday held military exercises in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea to improve interoperability.
The drills were held under the multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) in the contested area, the seventh since April last year, according to the Armed Forces.
The sixth MMCA – involving the Philippines, US, Australia and Japan – was held on February 5. That activity was the first MMCA to be conducted this year.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr said the naval and air force units of the three countries conducted the exercises in the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone “to enhance cooperation and interoperability among the armed forces.”
Asked for elaboration, AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the activity was held in the West Philippine Sea, specifically in the “joint operational area” of the AFP Northern Luzon Command.
Trinidad could not immediately say how near the activity area was from Scarborough Shoal, also Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal, which has been under Chinese control since 2012.
He declined to identify and give the number of assets involved in the latest MMCA, so as not to compromise the security of the exercises which he said was ongoing as of 2:30 p.m. yesterday.
The military said the activity was conducted in a manner consistent with international law and with due regard for the safety of navigation, and the rights and interests of other States.
“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding 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,” said Brawner.
BROADER EXERCISES
Meanwhile, Brawner held a phone conversation with Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on February 10 (US time).
In a readout issued on February 11, Joint Staff spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey said Brown and Brawner “discussed military modernization initiatives, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites and increasing the scope and capacity of joint exercises in the Philippines.”
Dorsey did not provide details on the discussions of the military chiefs.
The Armed Forces is implementing a modernization program that calls for the acquisition of modern assets, including warships and multi-role fighters.
On the 2014 EDCA, there are nine sites in the Philippines where the Americans are allowed to put up facilities to preposition assets needed to respond to various threats.
On the exercises, the two countries have been holding annual military drills in the Philippines, including the “Balikatan,” under the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement.
The US has been supporting the AFP in its efforts to protect Philippine interests in the contested West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea amid continuing Chinese aggression.
Last month, Philippines and the US held exercises in the West Philippine Sea. The maritime cooperative activity (MCA) was the fifth between the two countries since November 2023. On February 5, the Philippines, US, Japan and Australia also held an MMCA in the West Philippine Sea, the sixth since April last year.
Dorsey, in the readout, also said Brown “emphasized the importance of domain awareness in their exclusive economic zone.
“The US continues to closely partner with the Philippines and remains committed to maintaining a strong alliance founded upon shared strategic interests and democratic values,” he said.
Brawner, in an ambush interview in Taguig City, said he and Brown exchanged ideas “on how we could move forward in making sure that we promote a rules-based international order and we promote also a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“He committed to continuing the support of the US Armed Forces to the Philippine Armed Forces,” Brawner said.
On EDCA, Brawner said he and Brown discussed “the continuation of the projects in the EDCA sites,” and not the possibility of adding sites.
SUBMARINES
Brawner could not immediately say when the plan of the Armed Forces to acquire two submarines will happen.
“There are no specifics but we are considering that we will have submarines in our inventory in the future because we are an archipelago,” he said.
“We need really all types of assets that could protect the archipelago and submarines are one of them,” he added.
Brawner said they are hoping to acquire the submarines under the 2023 to 2028 Rehorizon 3 phase of the AFP modernization program.
Brawner said AFP modernization is not getting enough funds.
“That is why we are looking for other sources. So we are looking into local and foreign financing, that is why we are getting in touch with the Bankers Association of the Philippines,” he said.
President Marcos Jr has said the country does not have enough assets like aircraft carrier, submarine, destroyer and frigate to drive away Chinese vessels from Philippine territory.
WPS COMMAND
Senate majority leader Francis Tolentino asked the President to create a West Philippine Sea (WPS) Command for improved response capabilities and enhanced coordination among the Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and the PNP Maritime Group with regard to the issues in the West Philippine Sea.
Tolentino said the concerned agencies’ responses and coordination when China steps ups aggression in the WPS are somehow not coordinated because there are two major commands of the armed forces – the Western Command and the Northern Luzon Command – and the Task Force on West Philippine Sea which has jurisdiction in that part of the country’s territorial waters.
He said the WPS Command will effectively disband the Task Force on WPS since there will be a “dedicated command that would strengthen the AFP’s capacity to safeguard national interests, enforce sovereignty, and ensure the security of our maritime domain.”
He said the WPS Command will be headed by an admiral of the Philippine Navy.
“I’m calling upon the President, as the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Philippines, as well as (Defense) Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to immediately craft guidelines for the creation of a West Philippine Sea Command, separate from the Western Command and the Northern Luzon Command,” Tolentino said in a media forum.
Tolentino said the WPS Command will coordinate with allied forces in the Indo-Pacific area, including the conduct of multilateral exercises with Japan, Australia, and the US. – With Raymond Africa
“It will now improve our response capabilities because a dedicated command would provide focused leadership, resources, and operational capabilities to address security challenges such as what is happening today, including piracy and illegal fishing,” he said. – With Raymond Africa
