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The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Philippines, Australia, Canada hold joint sail in South China Sea
In this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Maj. Gen. Francisco F Lorenzo Jr., left, commander of the AFP Education, Training and Doctrine Command, pins the ALON Exercise 2025 patch on Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Maj. Gen. Hugh McAslan during the opening ceremony of joint military drills between Australia and the Philippines in Palawan province, Philippines on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. ALON started in 2023, the same year Australia and the Philippines elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in order to address the rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea. - Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP MANILA: The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday (Aug 19), an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week. The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country. "Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region," colonel Dennis Fernandez told a media briefing, adding that the joint sail was taking place within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The activity, which began on Sunday off the western province of Oriental Mindoro and will end in Palawan, is part of the ongoing military drills between the Philippines and Australia. Called ALON, a Filipino word for 'wave', the 15-day joint exercises, which began on August 15, include amphibious and land operations as well as live fire exercises designed to enhance the abilities of the two militaries to cooperate better. This year's iteration is the largest joint activity to date, with 3,600 troops from both sides joined by a Canadian Navy contingent as well as US Marines. ALON started in 2023, the same year Australia and the Philippines elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in order to address the rising security challenges in the region, including in the South China Sea, where US$3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce takes place. Since late 2023, the Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with allies, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States. Early this month, the Philippines and India also sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea. - Reuters
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
The Philippines and Australia kick off major military drills near South China Sea in a big way
In this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Maj. Gen. Francisco F Lorenzo Jr., left, commander of the AFP Education, Training and Doctrine Command, pins the ALON Exercise 2025 patch on Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Maj. Gen. Hugh McAslan during the opening ceremony of joint military drills between Australia and the Philippines in Palawan province, Philippines on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. -- Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP MANILA (Bloomberg): The Philippines and Australia have started their largest ever joint military exercises as tensions continue in the South China Sea. The joint exercises, which includes drills in Palawan province facing the South China Sea, will run from Aug. 15 to 29, the Philippine military said on Friday night. It will involve 3,600 military personnel from the Philippines and Australia, with additional participation from the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Marine Corps, it added. "This marks the beginning of the most extensive and complex iteration of the bilateral defense exercise since its inception in 2023,' the military said. Manila has increasingly turned to like-minded nations to counter Beijing's aggression and claims of sovereignty in large swathes of the South China Sea. China's territorial claims to the strategic waterway overlap with those of neighboring nations, and was invalidated by a landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
