PH’s group sail with Australia, Canada, US ‘successful’ – Brawner

The two-day group sail of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) with its counterparts from Australia, Canada and United States was deemed “successful,” AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Friday, Aug. 9.

Brawner said that the objectives set by the four countries for the multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) from Aug. 7 to 8 were met.

“This multilateral exercise met our objectives of enhancing tactical capabilities and interoperability. The seamless coordination and execution of the planned activities highlight the strong defense relationships we share and our collective commitment to ensuring a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

The exercise closed at around 6 p.m. Thursday and featured a comprehensive array of naval and air assets from the participating nations.

The AFP deployed the Philippine Navy (PN) ship BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) with an AW159 helicopter, and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16). 

Australia sent a Poseidon Aircraft (P8A) while Canada deployed the frigate HMCS Montreal (FFH336) with a Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter. The United States fielded the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG70) and a Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter.

The participating forces conducted communication exercises (COMMEX), division tactics/officer of the watch (Divtacs/OOW) maneuvers, a photographic exercise (PHOTOEX), cross-deck landing operations, anti-submarine warfare exercises (ASW Ex), and contact reporting/maritime domain awareness (MDA) which aimed to enhance their interoperability and cooperation.

“The seamless coordination and execution of the planned activities highlight the strong defense relationships we share and our collective commitment to ensuring a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region,” Brawner noted.

However, the PN monitored three Chinese navy ships observing the group sail at a distance of four to eight nautical miles.

PN spokesperson for WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said confirmed the presence of People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) ships “Huanggang 570” – a Jiangkai-class frigate – and two Jiangdao-class corvettes with bow numbers “668” and “626”.

Although the presence of the Chinese vessels was not deemed a cause for concern, Trinidad said that it was still “dubious and inappropriate”.

“This is not a show of force to any particular country, this is a show of commitment to international law for all countries,” he noted.