A six-day stretch of joint exercises between Filipino and American forces wrapped up on June 19 in the West Philippine Sea, marking the fourth such engagement carried out by the two militaries in 2026, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The AFP disclosed the completion of the bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) on Saturday, noting that it began on June 14 and brought together personnel from the Philippine military and the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), the body previously referred to as the US Indo-Pacific Command.
Drills throughout the week spanned several areas of naval coordination. “Over the six-day activity, participating forces conducted a series of maritime interoperability exercises, including search and rescue, visit, board, search, and seizure, communication exercises, division tactics/officer of the watch maneuvers, photo exercise, and joint fires rehearsal,” the AFP said.
On the Philippine side, the lineup of assets centered on the frigate BRP Diego Silang (FFG-7) and extended to rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. “The exercise featured Philippine naval, air, and marine assets, including the BRP Diego Silang (FFG-7), AW-109 helicopter, FA-50 fighter aircraft, C-208B aircraft, and Sokol helicopters,” the military said. Two Philippine Coast Guard vessels, the BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) and BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407), rounded out the local contingent.
American participation drew on a mix of sea and air platforms, including the cutters USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC-1141) and USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC-1145), a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, and the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment.
The AFP framed the repeated drills as evidence of a lasting partnership aimed at sharpening awareness across maritime zones and upholding a rules-based order throughout the Indo-Pacific.
A separate Philippine Navy deployment, meanwhile, has taken the service beyond home waters. The guided missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-6) joined warships from Singapore, Italy, and Japan in an air defense drill on June 18 while sailing toward Hawaii for the multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises.
That drill saw the assembled ships—including Singapore’s RSS Steadfast (RSS-70), Italy’s ITS Giovanni delle Bande Nere (P-434), and Japan’s JS Kongo (DDG-173)—engage a drone target released from the JS Kongo, which stood in for a low-flying enemy aircraft as crews put their air defense systems to the test.
RIMPAC, held every two years, is scheduled to take place in Hawaiian waters from June 24 through July 31.
