PH, US, Australia, Canada joint WPS drill ends successfully

The Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity between the militaries of the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and Canada was successfully concluded, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday.

AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement that the multilateral exercise's objective of enhancing the Philippines' tactical capabilities and interoperability was met.

“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 added.

According to the AFP, the joint activity between the four countries was officially closed at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The two-day exercise included 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).

There were no significant incidents, and all objectives were met as planned despite the presence of Chinese warships during the drill, according to the AFP.

On the first day of the activity on Wednesday, the AFP said they monitored three Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels: the PLA-Navy Wuzhou (FSG 626) Jiangdao II Class Corvette, PLA-Navy Huangshan (FFG 570) Jiankai II Class Corvette, and PLA-Navy Qujing (FSG 668) Jiangdao II Class Corvette.

In a joint statement, the four countries committed to enhancing regional and international cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Amid the tension in the WPS, the US, Australia, Canada, and the Philippines reaffirmed the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as final and legally binding to the dispute.

“We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order,” they said.

“Our four nations reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute,” they added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News