The Philippines, United States, and Japan held another round of maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea, marking the 13th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) and the eighth conducted this year.
Major naval and air assets from the AFP, US Indo-Pacific Command, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force participated, alongside support from the Philippine Coast Guard.
According to the AFP, the drill featured interoperability exercises including communications checks, resupply-at-sea approaches, anti-submarine training, cross-deck helicopter operations, formation maneuvers, and a final integrated exercise.
The sustained MMCA series, they said, “reflects its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s sovereign rights and advancing collective defense readiness with trusted partners.”
The activity comes amid continued Chinese harassment of Philippine vessels, with Beijing asserting sweeping claims over the South China Sea despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated them.
Manila has taken a firmer stance under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., expanding joint patrols and increasing transparency by releasing footage of Chinese actions at sea.
The trilateral exercises also follow the PH–US–Japan leaders’ summit in April, where all three nations pledged deeper maritime cooperation.
The AFP expects more joint activities as the Philippines accelerates military modernization and reinforces its presence in the WPS.