Target vessel sank before it could be hammered at drill in Philippines
A decommissioned vessel meant to be struck by missiles during a joint live-fire event of the Philippine Armed Forces and the U.S. military sank out of its own volition shortly before modern weaponry had a chance to send it to its watery grave.
The sinking of the BRP Miguel Malvar happened roughly 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines, a U.S. spokesman for the exercise said in a statement on Monday.
Still, certain elements of the Balikatan 25 Maritime Strike live-fire portion of the drill, in which the vessel was to participate, would take place as planned, according to the statement.
US, Philippines expand exercise to territorial edges amid tension with China
The Miguel Malvar 'took on water while being positioned,' the statement reads, and sank at 7:20 a.m. at its intended location for the live-fire event. No personnel were injured, it notes.
'As is common, the vessel was selected because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations,' the statement said.
While the vessel sank, the glitch did not sink the ability to conduct a command post exercise as part of the live-fire event. The statement did not detail what elements were still scheduled as part of the drill, but said 'the combined force will still achieve its training objectives.'
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. joint task forces 'will rehearse virtual and constructive fire missions,' the statement says. 'The training will integrate ground, maritime, and air-based sensors and shooters into a combined, joint fires network, as the Philippine and U.S. joint task forces exercise command and control while increasing combined warfighting capability.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Philippines, U.S., hold joint maritime drills for seventh time
MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines and United States militaries have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday. The exercises, held on Wednesday in waters off the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Zambales and away from contested features, included joint operations near shorelines as well as fire support. "The MCA (maritime cooperative activity) is a demonstration of both nations' resolve to deepen cooperation and enhance interoperability in line with international law," the Philippine armed forces said in a statement. The joint sail also showcased the Philippine vessel Miguel Malvar, a 118-metre guided missile frigate commissioned last month. It is one of two corvettes built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries under the Philippines' military modernisation programme. Military engagements between the treaty allies have soared under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
Footage Shows Chinese Ships Near US Ally's Disputed Island Base
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philippines has released footage showing Chinese maritime forces operating near its largest outpost in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands archipelago. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Philippine military for comment via written requests. Why It Matters China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, citing "historical rights," which puts it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in the Hague dismissed the sweeping claims featured in China's "nine-dashed line" map as incompatible with maritime law. Beijing rejected the decision. The Philippines has mounted a stiff challenge to expanding Chinese activities in its exclusive economic zone. The resulting standoffs between Chinese and Philippine government vessels have raised concerns that Manila's Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington could pull the U.S. into a conflict with its East Asian rival. WATCH: A China Coast Guard ship, several Chinese maritime militia vessels, and a PLA Navy warship seen from Pag-asa Island. | via Patrick de Jesus — PTVph (@PTVph) June 3, 2025 What To Know On Wednesday, the People's Television Network, a Philippine state-owned broadcaster, released footage showing Chinese vessels operating off the coast of Thitu Island, well within the 12-nautical-mile (13.8-mile) territorial sea claimed by Manila. The ships included a Chinese coast guard cutter, a People's Liberation Army Navy warship and what appeared to be two vessels from China's so-called Maritime Militia. The agency did not specify when the footage was taken. Administered by the Philippines since 1971, Thitu is the largest of the Spratly Islands under the country's control and hosts a small permanent population. This photograph captured by Airbus in June 2023 and provided by Google Earth shows the Philippine-control Thitu Island in the South China Sea's contested Spratly Islands archipelago. This photograph captured by Airbus in June 2023 and provided by Google Earth shows the Philippine-control Thitu Island in the South China Sea's contested Spratly Islands archipelago. Google Earth/Airbus The island is also home to a small coast guard station, military garrison and airstrip, modest yet vital assets for maintaining Manila's force posture in the area. This is especially necessary given the proximity of China's more heavily militarized artificial islands. The waters around Thitu, and a nearby cluster of sandbars known as Sandy Cay, have at times become a flashpoint in the South China Sea dispute. In late May, Manila released video showing a Chinese coast guard ship using a water cannon against a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel. The Chinese ship also "sideswiped" the smaller craft and damaged its bow, according to Philippine authorities. What People Are Saying Major General Meng Xiangqing, a professor at China's National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, said on Sunday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore: "It must be pointed out that the Philippines has always been the provocateur and China's actions have been legitimate responses. Here, I solemnly warn the Philippine side: The South China Sea is not a place where the Philippines can act recklessly." Gilberto Teodoro, the Philippine secretary of defense, told Newsweek on Sunday: "Unfortunately, they [China] are the cause of instability here. Nobody denies it. Nobody supports their nine-dash line here, and I made that clear in my condemnation—and a lot of people condemn their behavior because no right-minded person would agree with what they're doing here in the South China Sea." What Happens Next The Philippines is expanding infrastructure on Thitu Island, including a recently completed extension of its airstrip to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles)—long enough to accommodate light transport aircraft and some fighter jets. A sheltered port is also in the works, which would enhance the operational range of Philippine maritime forces in surrounding waters.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Philippine health agency quashes mpox lockdown rumours
"Don't dismiss this, please share! [The government] is trying to determine if the entire country should be placed on lockdown because of the danger of mpox," reads part of the Tagalog-language caption of a graphic shared on Facebook on May 31, 2025. It bears the logos of the Philippines' Department of Health and the World Health Organization, says the lockdown will start "June 10, 2025" and adds the use of face masks will be mandatory. The Facebook post also includes links to products sold on popular e-commerce sites Shopee and Lazada. Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook, as were similar graphics about a June 6 lockdown purportedly shared by Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN. "Oh no, here we go again, this is scary," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "And children are about to go back to school next month at the opening of the school year!" Multiple towns in the central and southern Philippines in May reported cases of mpox, a disease caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox that manifests itself in a high fever and skin lesions (archived here, here and here). But the archipelago's health department says there is no need to restrict the public's movement. According to the agency, the cases reported in May were caused by the mild Clade 2 variant -- not the highly transmissible Clade 1b strain of the virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was also detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden (archived here and here). The Department of Health said in a May 31 statement that posts claiming a lockdown was imminent were "fake", and there was no need to restrict movement because mpox is not airborne (archived link). "Lockdown does not work for mpox. Why? Because it is [transmitted via] skin-to-skin contact, so there could be more skin-to-skin contact if there is a lockdown," health chief Ted Herbosa said in a press briefing on May 31 (archived link). Separately, the heath department and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases said mask mandates imposed by several localities in response to mpox cases were unnecessary and would not prevent the spread of the virus (archived here. here, here and here). There has also been no surge in the number of mpox cases in the country. According to information released by the health department, more cases were recorded in April than in May (archived link). The Philippines has not recorded any cases from Clade 1b. The lockdown graphic purportedly shared by ABS-CBN was also dismissed by the health agency as "fake" on May 31 (archived link). The graphic uses the same background of a genuine graphic shared by the broadcaster on its official Facebook page on May 28, 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic (archived link). The original graphic was about Metro Manila being placed under "General Community Quarantine". AFP has debunked other false claims about mpox here.
