Exercise "SAMA SAMA", a naval exercise between the Philippine Navy (PN) and United States Navy (USN), will help keep the Indo-Pacific "free and open" for all countries, a high-ranking USN officer said, amid security challenges brought about by China's growing presence in the region.
Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of USN's 7th Fleet, made the remark during the opening of Exercise SAMA SAMA on Monday, Oct. 2, at the PN headquarters in Manila.
"I think its really important that we all recognize that the global maritime commons are used by everybody and everybody wants the global maritime commons to be free and open. Our navies inherently sail and operate together and when we do exercises like SAMA SAMA, it allows us to really focus our efforts to improve across all of the countries and all of the navies," Thomas said.
The USN officer noted that it is important to follow and uphold the rule of law to avoid "misunderstanding" as China continues to tighten its grip in the disputed areas in the South China Sea.
"We all want peace in this region and by demonstrating that we know [how] to operate in accordance with the rule of the law, we decrease the chance for miscalculation," Thomas added.
Around 700 sailors and marines from different PN and USN units will participate in different naval drills in Metro Manila and Southern Luzon until Oct. 13 covering the fundamentals of anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare.
The exercise also includes delegates from Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia in subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) and events related to humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR). Meanwhile, the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Indonesian Navy are also joining as observers.
Participating assets from the PN side during the sea phase of the exercise include BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), AW109 naval helicopter, and C-90 aircraft.
Meanwhile, Vice Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr., PN Flag Officer in Command, said the exercise is important for their vital capacity-building platform which “empowers us to refine our naval warfare capabilities, addressing various dimensions of modern naval operations."
However, he clarified that the exercise is "not necessarily intended for a particular adversary", but a part of their effort to strengthen the technical competencies of Filipino and American sailors and marines.