US-Philippines Conduct Military Exercises

(Manila, Philippines) Beginning yesterday, US and Philippine warships and 1,000 American and Filipino sailors and servicemen have been participating in joint military exercises, due to conclude on July 2.

Ensign Bernard Sabado of Naval Forces Northern Luzon Public Affairs Office said the joint naval exercises dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) will include live fire drills, maritime interdiction, ship boarding and seizure, as well as aerial surveillance.

“In-port” activities will be conducted in several areas of Northern and Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, specifically at the former US bases in Subic Bay in Zambales and at Clark Field in Pampanga and at the Philippine Marine training base in Ternate, Cavite.

China has been imposing a three-layered naval and maritime defense around Panatag Shoal since last year, effectively driving away Filipino fishermen from getting closer to fish.

Ominously, ChiCom maritime activities have become increasingly more aggressive, threatening its neighbors. I suggest it's reasonable to expect Chinese neighborhood bullying in the South China Sea to escalate.