The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday highlighted the “growing depth” of maritime cooperation among the Philippines, Japan, and the United States following a week-long multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, the AFP said the 15th MMCA, held from Feb. 20 to 26, built on similar joint drills conducted earlier this year and underscored the three nations’ ability to operate together in complex maritime environments.
Participating in the exercise were units from the AFP, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).
Philippine assets included the Navy’s BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) with an embarked AW-159 helicopter. The Philippine Air Force deployed FA-50 fighter jets, a C-208B aircraft, A-29 “Super Tucano” light attack aircraft, and a W-3A “Sokol” search-and-rescue helicopter.
Japan sent a P-3 “Orion” maritime patrol aircraft, while the United States deployed the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) and a P-8A “Poseidon” maritime patrol aircraft.
“The integration of these platforms showcased the three nations’ ability to operate seamlessly together in complex maritime environments, highlighting the growing depth of maritime cooperation,” the AFP said.
Just days before, the 14th MMCA was conducted from Feb. 15 to 16, involving the AFP, the Australian Defence Force, and INDOPACOM.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also took part in the latest drills, deploying the offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) — a move the AFP said demonstrated a whole-of-nation approach to safeguarding the country’s maritime domain.
Exercise serials included communications check exercises, maritime domain awareness drills, replenishment at sea, joint air patrols and fly-bys, division tactics and officer-of-the-watch maneuvers, photo exercises, and anti-submarine warfare operations.
“A live-fire gunnery exercise was also conducted by BRP Antonio Luna to validate targeting accuracy and combat readiness under realistic maritime conditions, before concluding with a ‘hotwash’ and ‘finish exercise’ to evaluate performance and capture lessons for future operations,” the AFP added.