This Sunday through Monday, the Philippines, United States, and Australia conducted a joint patrol exercise in waters claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea. This marked the first multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) of the year among the Philippines, the U.S., and their allies.

The Philippines refers to its claimed areas of the South China Sea, which covers its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone extending from its territorial baselines, as the “West Philippine Sea.” This area overlaps with China’s “ten-dash line” claim in the South China Sea, over which the two sides have long been at odds.

The exercise included communication drills, maritime domain awareness operations, sector-based tactics, photo exercises, at-sea replenishment, and after-action reviews, with the three parties consolidating operational experience for future joint missions. The Philippine military stated that this was the 14th joint patrol under the MCA framework since it was first launched in April 2024, demonstrating participating countries’ commitment to strengthening interoperability, enhancing regional maritime security, and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight.

Amid ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea, forging alliances with like-minded countries and holding multilateral joint operations is part of Manila’s strategy to counter Beijing.