Philippines Kickstarts First-Ever ‘Simultaneous’ Military Drills With US, Australia

The simultaneous military drills are taking place months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to power in May. The new leader said during his trip to the US last month that Manila’s fate is tied to that of Washington as a “partner”, as he reaffirmed his commitment to the 1951 mutual defense treaty between the two countries.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have launched the “first ever simultaneous” military drills involving forces from the US and Australia, as per an official statement issued by the Philippine Navy on Wednesday.

The Philippine Navy has traditionally conducted joint exercises with Australian forces (LUMBAS) and the US (MTA SAMA-SAMA) separately at different times of the year.

“This year’s joint exercise shall undoubtedly reinforce the long-standing alliance and friendship among our respective nations while opening broad avenues to complement our joint regional security efforts and advance our maritime capabilities,” said Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who presided over the opening ceremony of the simultaneous drills in the coastal city of Lapu-Lapu.

The Philippine Navy statement said that the focus of the simultaneous drills would be on enhancing capacity to address “non-traditional concerns” such as territorial defense, man-made and natural disasters as well as responding to terrorism and transnational crimes.

Representatives from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, British Navy; Royal Brunei Navy, French Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy will be present as “observers” at the joint drills, the Philippine Navy said.

US, Philippines Ink ‘Landmark’ Terms of Reference Pact to Bolster Maritime Cooperation

In another development, the Philippine Navy announced on Wednesday that it has sealed a “landmark” terms of reference (TOR) agreement with the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet in order to boost maritime cooperation.

The Navy stated that the pact was the culmination of the first-ever staff-level talks between itself and the Seventh Fleet in February this year.

The force reckoned that the navy-to-navy pact with the US signified the “unified efforts” by both the sides to “strengthen alliance” and explore more ways to promote “peace and security” in the region.

The Philippines is involved in a maritime dispute with Beijing over the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said that Manila would be a “friend to all, enemy to none” during his leadership, he has at the same time vowed to not abandon “even a square inch of territory” to any power.