Philippines โandโ Australia bolster Maritime Defense ties with Joint Exercise
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and โAustralia reaffirmed their commitment to regional โคsecurity and interoperability this week, concludingโข the second joint maritime exercise, ALON (Armada ng sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas – Australian Defence Force), on August 29th. The drills, involvingโ over โ3,600 personnel, underscore growing defense cooperation amid increasingโ regional tensions in theโ South China โคSea.
The Combined Joint โForce Exercise Operations โ(CJFEO) component of ALON showcased the ability of โPhilippine andโ Australianโข amphibious forces to conduct complexโ operations, including naval gunfire support, amphibious assaults, andโ maritime strike missions.This year’s exercise expanded โbeyond โbilateral cooperation to โinclude participation from the United States Marine Corps and the โขRoyal Canadian Navy, with observer teams from โขJapan, South โฃKorea,โค New Zealand, and โขIndonesia.
Defense secretary โGilberto Teodoro Jr. highlighted the โextensive โplanning and logistical effort behind the โฃsuccessfulโฃ operation. “A tremendous amountโ of logistics โขand planning has โขgone into what we witnessed here. I think โฃcredit alsoโ goes โto โขnot only those who actuallyโฃ participated in the assault, but those who โwent intoโ the months of planning,โค months of preparation,” he โคstated. Teodoro โขemphasized the practical benefits of such exercises, noting their importance in preparingโ for potential joint responses to natural disasters or other contingencies.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles echoed thisโฃ sentiment, stressing the importance of the exercise โคin strengtheningโฃ interoperability between the two nations. โค”This exercise is about Australia and the Philippinesโฆ It’s about โbuilding the interoperability between twoโ countries which share values and have one intent, and โคthat is to uphold the rules-based order in this region,” Marles said.
ALON, held from August 15th to 29th, went beyond โpurely military maneuvers. It incorporated special operations integration, cyber resilience training, civil-military engagements, religious capability โbuilding, and public affairs cooperation.
Theโ exercise builds uponโข a deepening โsecurity โpartnership between โขthe โขPhilippines and Australia,formalized through a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) signed โin 2023. This agreement facilitates increased military cooperation,including joint training exercises and reciprocal โaccess for troops and equipment. The increased collaboration reflectsโค shared concerns over China’s assertiveโค actions in the South China sea and a โคcommitment โคto maintaining a โfree and open Indo-Pacific region. Theโฃ Philippines, under the managementโฃ of President Ferdinandโ Marcos Jr.,has been actively seeking to strengthen alliances withโฃ traditional โฃpartnersโข like theโ United States and Australiaโ while navigating a complex โขrelationshipโ with China.