During the last days of October, the navies of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines conducted a new joint naval deployment in the South China Sea, with the aim of strengthening cooperation and interoperability in the region. The operations took place within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines, as part of a new edition of the Maritime Cooperation Activity (MCA), an exercise designed to enhance operational coordination among participating forces and support regional maritime security.
As has become customary, and with the goal of reinforcing allied presence in the Indo-Pacific, the navies of the four participating countries joined forces to deploy naval units in waters near the Philippines, an area where China maintains a constant and increasingly active military presence. Within the framework of this new Maritime Cooperative Activity, a U.S. statement indicated that, on October 30 and 31, operations focused on continuing previous exercises and strengthening interoperability in doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures among the participating forces.
During the exercises, there was notable multinational participation, which included the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155), the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Polar-class logistics vessel HMNZS Aotearoa (A11), and the Philippine Navy’s Jose Rizal-class frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150). These assets were joined by an AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat helicopter, three A-29B Super Tucano aircraft from the Philippine Air Force, a W-3A Sokol multipurpose helicopter, the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft belonging to U.S. Navy Patrol Squadrons (VP) 4 and 45.
In detail, the activities included a series of coordinated maritime and aerial operations, among them: communications verification exercise (Rendezvous and Communication Check); tactical formation maneuvers (Division Tactics); low-altitude passes by A-29B Super Tucano aircraft; personnel exchange by means of RHIB boats; cross-deck exercises (cross-deck drills); antisubmarine simulation ASW EMATT; and replenishment at sea (Replenishment and Fueling-at-Sea).
It is important to note that a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) constitutes a joint training and operational coordination instance aimed at strengthening naval, aerial, and surface interoperability among participating forces, within the framework of the strategy of allied deterrence and presence in the Philippine Sea and the Western Pacific. Regarding this, the deployment carried out in October adds to many others conducted in recent months among the forces of the aforementioned countries and others such as Canada, India, Japan, and France.
In particular, for the Philippine Navy, this was the seventh MCA conducted so far this year and the twelfth since the beginning of the series in 2024. The most recent took place in September, together with Japan and the United States—two actors that have intensified their maritime presence and expanded defense cooperation in recent years. For Manila, these exercises not only strengthen strategic ties with its regional partners but also represent a key tool to assert its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea in the face of China’s military activities.
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