Australian navy holds exercise with MSDF en route to Philippines
By Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, contributing writer
Australia’s navy has held a bilateral exercise with the Maritime Self-Defense Force on the way to the Philippines as part of annual regional engagement activities, an Australian defense spokesperson said Wednesday, though there was no indication of a hotly anticipated trilateral drill in the South China Sea that had been expected the same day.
Japan, Australia and the U.S. were reportedly considering sending vessels laden with aircraft to the Philippines to conduct a trilateral naval drill in the disputed waterway.
It was not immediately clear why the exercise had apparently not been held.
The Self-Defense Forces had been considering sending the Izumo helicopter carrier, while Australia and the U.S. were to send their amphibious assault ships, the Canberra and America, respectively. The exercises had been expected to send a strong message of support for Manila amid rising tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, in recent months.
The Australia-Japan joint exercise came after the China Coast Guard on Tuesday attempted to block Philippine resupply vessels from reaching a grounded warship in the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Island chain of the South China Sea.
That resupply mission was successful after China said it allowed the Philippine contingent to deliver provisions "in the spirit of humanitarianism.”
The ship full of Filipino marines was run aground in 1999, and has become an outpost meant to reinforce Manila’s claims to the area. While the resupply mission was successful, Philippine Navy ships kept watch as Chinese ships chased and briefly blocked the mission, video posted to the Philippine military’s social media accounts showed.
Beijing maintains a claim to some 90% of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade flow every year, a position that flies in the face of a July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidating most of those claims.
China has conducted a massive land-reclamation project to essentially build and militarize a number of islands in the waters, despite protests from other claimants, as well as the United States and Japan. Washington and Tokyo fear that the Chinese-held outposts, some of which boast military-grade airfields and advanced weaponry, could be used to restrict free movement in an area that includes vital sea lanes.
The actions were the latest in a continuation of the back-and-forth between China and the Philippines. Earlier this month, the China Coast Guard deployed water cannons against Philippine vessels attempting to resupply the remote outpost, triggering condemnation from Japan, Australia and the U.S., with Washington reiterating that any attack would trigger the mutual defense treaty it has with Manila.
Further joint drills were planned for in the Philippines, the Australian military spokesperson said, with multiple ships and aircraft set to be involved in Exercise Alon, a bilateral exercise between the Australian and Philippine militaries involving more than 2,000 personnel from the two nations and around 150 U.S. Marines Corps members.
Vessels participating in the exercise were to include the Royal Australian Navy’s vessels Canberra and the Anzac frigate, which were both involved in the drill with the MSDF.
The Australian ships will continue regional engagement activities throughout late August during a port visit to Manila, where they will conclude Exercise Alon.
Japan, Australia and the U.S. were reportedly considering sending vessels laden with aircraft to the Philippines to conduct a trilateral naval drill in the disputed waterway.
It was not immediately clear why the exercise had apparently not been held.
The Self-Defense Forces had been considering sending the Izumo helicopter carrier, while Australia and the U.S. were to send their amphibious assault ships, the Canberra and America, respectively. The exercises had been expected to send a strong message of support for Manila amid rising tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, in recent months.
The Australia-Japan joint exercise came after the China Coast Guard on Tuesday attempted to block Philippine resupply vessels from reaching a grounded warship in the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Island chain of the South China Sea.
That resupply mission was successful after China said it allowed the Philippine contingent to deliver provisions "in the spirit of humanitarianism.”
The ship full of Filipino marines was run aground in 1999, and has become an outpost meant to reinforce Manila’s claims to the area. While the resupply mission was successful, Philippine Navy ships kept watch as Chinese ships chased and briefly blocked the mission, video posted to the Philippine military’s social media accounts showed.
Beijing maintains a claim to some 90% of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade flow every year, a position that flies in the face of a July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidating most of those claims.
China has conducted a massive land-reclamation project to essentially build and militarize a number of islands in the waters, despite protests from other claimants, as well as the United States and Japan. Washington and Tokyo fear that the Chinese-held outposts, some of which boast military-grade airfields and advanced weaponry, could be used to restrict free movement in an area that includes vital sea lanes.
The actions were the latest in a continuation of the back-and-forth between China and the Philippines. Earlier this month, the China Coast Guard deployed water cannons against Philippine vessels attempting to resupply the remote outpost, triggering condemnation from Japan, Australia and the U.S., with Washington reiterating that any attack would trigger the mutual defense treaty it has with Manila.
Further joint drills were planned for in the Philippines, the Australian military spokesperson said, with multiple ships and aircraft set to be involved in Exercise Alon, a bilateral exercise between the Australian and Philippine militaries involving more than 2,000 personnel from the two nations and around 150 U.S. Marines Corps members.
Vessels participating in the exercise were to include the Royal Australian Navy’s vessels Canberra and the Anzac frigate, which were both involved in the drill with the MSDF.
The Australian ships will continue regional engagement activities throughout late August during a port visit to Manila, where they will conclude Exercise Alon.