US, Philippines conclude key annual military drill

The US and the Philippines' forces concluded the fourth edition of their annual bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the South China Sea this year, Manila announced on Saturday.

The six-day joint drill ran from June 14 to 19 and involved units from the Philippines' armed forces and the US Indo-Pacific Command, now officially called the US Pacific Command, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.

"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 Philippines' military said in a statement.

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 successful conduct of another MCA highlights the enduring commitment of the Philippines and the US to strengthening maritime cooperation, enhancing maritime domain awareness, and reaffirming support for a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific Region," the statement added.

In a related development, the Philippine Navy said on Saturday that its guided missile frigate, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-6), along with other nations participating in the biennial "Rim of the Pacific" exercises, "successfully" executed an air defense exercise while en route to Hawaii on June 18.

This year's RIMPAC will run in Hawaiian waters from June 24 to July 31.