US and Philippine marines stormed a beach near a disputed rocky outcrop in the South China Sea on Friday as part of joint military drills involving more than 3,500 troops.
The KAMANDAG exercises - the Philippines' acronym for 'Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea' - kicked off Monday and will be held across the country's main island of Luzon until October 14.
Around 300 troops were involved in Friday's amphibious drills held on an uninhabited beach in Zambales province, about 150 miles east of Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.
Photos of the drills displayed impressive scenes of platoons storming beaches from amphibious landing craft, while US marines were seen instructing Philippine soldiers on the use of specific military equipment and weaponry. A small contingent of South Korean and Japanese soldiers also took part in the drills.
It is the first time the annual naval exercises have been held under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has expressed strong support for the decades-old alliance after rocky relations under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte had threatened to cancel drills and axe a key military deal with the United States as he pivoted towards China.
But Marcos told US President Joe Biden during a meeting in New York last month that he appreciated America's role in 'maintaining the peace in our region'.
The joint exercises come as a US aircraft carrier simultaneously performs drills with South Korea in a week which has seen tensions soar with North Korea amid a missile launch and a series of bombing drills.
No comments:
Post a Comment