The Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea was delayed by a day, and the majority of the planned exercises were called off because the participating US troops became unavailable. They were unable to join as they needed to attend to some “operational necessities.”
The MCA was slated for January 2-4 within a 150×100 nautical mile exercise box that stretches from the vicinity of Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro to the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
However, Philippine Navy (PN) vessels proceeded with some exercises unilaterally, according to Western Command (Wescom) Chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos.
Three PN vessels—BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15), BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16), and BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602)—conducted a line formation 1,000 yards apart and performed a passing exercise with USS Sterrett (DDG-104), coming within two nautical miles of each other around 70 nautical miles northwest of Cabra Island, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, at 12:58 p.m. on January 3.
Activities that were called off due to the unavailability of the US troops included resupply at sea, cross-deck exercises, joint patrols, photo exercises, gunnery exercises, and flight operations.
“We’re going to do some maneuvers and more serials on our own, unilaterally. And then tomorrow, tuloy pa rin naman yung distinguished visitor visit sa [aircraft] carrier,” Carlos said in an interview with the media aboard BRP Gregorio del Pilar.
“Unfortunately, they did not give any specific [explanation]. They just said that they have to reallocate some of their forces to other tasks due to some operational necessity,” he said.
The AFP is conducting the MCA through the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) and Wescom in collaboration with the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) to enhance interoperability and combined capabilities in the maritime domain and foster regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner, Jr., expressed the significance of the 2nd MCA in a statement issued Wednesday by his office.
“This marks a significant leap in our alliance and interoperability with the United States, showcasing our progress in defense capabilities. As a world-class armed force, we uphold our mandate to protect the people and the state,” he said.
He also emphasized the strength of the alliance, advancing a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific region amidst regional challenges.
Col. Xerxes Trinidad, the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office, stated that the MCA encompasses routine goodwill activities at sea conducted by participating forces, and it has received approval from the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB).
“It is not simply a joint maritime and air patrol in a designated area but also includes different exercises agreed upon by the participating forces,” Trinidad said.
Citing the importance of the conduct of the activity, Trinidad said it provides an excellent platform for the military forces to enhance interoperability through joint exercises.
“The bilateral event will emphasize our ability to work seamlessly together, enhancing our collective capabilities and readiness to address evolving security challenges. It will demonstrate our progress in defense capabilities and development as a world-class armed force as we carry out our mandate to protect the people and the state,” he explained.
“The MCA is a show of our commitment to the rules-based international order and to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. As allies, the PH and US are expected to conduct these activities to test their doctrines and enhance their interoperability. It is not an activity that is directed at any country,” he added.
Carlos also said the activity serves as an opportunity for the AFP to improve the skills of troops in operating with other forces.
“We’re always looking for an opportunity to enhance our interoperability, so whatever we can get, we’re always ready to do that. Ngayon, the US forces were available. But due to some operational necessities, on to the next opportunity,” he said.
Should there be any untoward response or reaction from the non-participating force, Trinidad said the respective rules of engagement would be followed.
“We are against any form of escalation and support peaceful and diplomatic resolution of conflict, but we are ready to respond to aggression to ensure the safety of our personnel, if necessary,” he stated.
Philippine and US troops are conducting their second MCA within just two months, following the first iteration held on November 21–23 last year, which was followed by a similar exercise between the Philippine and Australian defense forces.
PLAN vessels shadowing
While en route to the area of the exercise, two Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy vessels shadowed the Philippine Navy vessels that started at 6:04 a.m.
The PLAN vessel with bow numbers 570 (Jiangkai class) and 174 (Luoyang class) stayed close for almost the whole day, coming as close as 2.04 nautical miles.
Carlos, however, dismissed the PLAN vessels’ presence as nothing but mere shadowing and observing the activity. He also maintained that the exercise area is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“You see, they have been shadowing us since this morning, pero wala namang ano yan, just like the US, they have the right to freedom of navigation. We are still conducting our activity, and they are not obstructing our movement; they are just monitoring our movements in the training area,” he said.
“This is our exclusive economic zone, and their reaction when we challenged them was that they were operating in their jurisdiction, which is wrong because we have jurisdiction over this area because this is our EEZ,” he said.
Carlos also clarified that the unavailability of US troops, rather than the presence of PLAN vessels, led to the cancellation of certain exercises, including gunnery, emphasizing that the activity posed no danger.
“The US forces were ready to fire (for the gunnery exercise), but since they cannot join and this was supposed to be a joint activity, we also have to cancel our GunEx,” Carlos said.
“Hindi naman (dangerous) because there is a security protocol for that and we designate a firing area, and there are also safety protocols for picket boats, and it should be cleared of any vessels that are not part of the GunEx,” he explained.
