United States and Philippine Naval Vessels Team up for Joint Patrol in South China Sea
Recently, the United States and the Philippines collaborated by having their warships rendezvous near a disputed area in the South China Sea to engage in a joint maritime patrol. The USS Mobile (LCS-26) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) met off Leslie Bank, a maritime feature within Manila’s exclusive economic zone and Beijing’s 10-dash line claim. Throughout this operational cooperative venture, the littoral combat ship and former Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutter practiced bilateral surface operations and communication. A video released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed that the two vessels took up a patrol formation.
According to the Navy, the purpose of the joint patrol was to “demonstrate the strength of the alliance between the two nations and further advance combined capabilities in the maritime domain to support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.” Captain Justin Harts, commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, expressed, “Sailing together demonstrates commitment to our continued coordination with the Philippine Navy”, in a press release on the maritime cooperative activity.
The recent joint patrol is part of a series of maritime cooperative activities that began last year amidst increasing tensions between the Philippines and China over their claims in the South China Sea, particularly regarding resupply missions to a Marine outpost at Second Thomas Shoal. The joint patrols are intended to show support and bring foreign partners into the South China Sea and Luzon Strait. In November, Philippine warships and aircraft engaged in 10 bilateral and multilateral maritime and aerial patrols with countries including Canada, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.
With France being considered as a potential participant pending the finalization of an agreement that would permit enhanced defense cooperation between the two countries, the joint patrols have gained significance. The ongoing incidents between Philippine and Chinese forces have continued to escalate, even with the commencement of joint patrols in the fall. For example, the China Coast Guard’s use of water cannons, rammings, and boarding actions reached a critical point during a June 17 resupply mission when Canadian, Japanese, Philippine, and U.S. forces jointly patrolled in the South China Sea.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines revealed the location of the joint patrol at Leslie Bank, which is claimed by China as Yonghi Tan and Vietnam as Bãi Vĩnh Tuy. Despite the lack of active contest over the feature compared to other hotspots throughout the region, the joint patrol is significant. Following the exercise, BRP Ramon Alcaraz resumed patrol duties and discovered a sunken Vietnamese fishing vessel at Jackson Atoll, with the crew later being rescued by another boat.
Preceding the maritime cooperative activity, the Philippines successfully resupplied its outpost at Second Thomas Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), following a yet-to-be-released agreement with China over the resupply of the grounded Second World War-era landing tank ship. Although the specifics of the deal are in dispute between Manila and Beijing, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commended the bilateral effort and urged China to uphold its end of the deal.
The joint patrol also coincided with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Philippines, where he met with other high-ranking officials to finalize plans for further defense cooperation and modernization efforts under a half-billion-dollar investment from Washington into the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Austin also visited Subic Bay to assess potential defense industrial base opportunities at the former U.S. naval installation.
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