Aimed at improving interoperability between the two militaries, the drills come against the backdrop of China’s recent aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, flashpoints for Chinese and US tensions.
Logico said US troops and their Manila counterparts will simulate retaking islands occupied by hostile forces in the northernmost islands of the country, close to Taiwan and in the western Palawan province facing the South China Sea.
A small French contingent will join this year’s drills for the first time since the annual exercise began in 1991, deploying a frigate that will sail jointly with Philippine and US naval vessels in Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Around 14 nations will join as observers, including Japan, India and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU), Logico said.
Like last year, next week’s exercise will attempt to sink a mock enemy warship in the northern city of Laoag in Ilocos province.
