US, Australia and Philippines hold second joint drills in South China Sea in 2026
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The Philippines deployed its FA‑50 fighter jets, while Australia contributed P-8A Poseidon aircraft and the United States the USS Ashland, a dock landing ship.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA – The US and Australia joined the Philippines for their second joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea in 2026, amid tensions with China in the disputed waterway.
The drills, held from April 9 to 12, involved warships, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft in a series of coordinated operations to strengthen maritime defence capabilities, the Philippine military said on April 13.
The exercises underscored the “deepening defence cooperation among the three nations and their shared commitment to regional security”, it said.
The Philippines deployed its FA-50 fighter jets, while Australia contributed P-8A Poseidon aircraft, and the US the USS Ashland, a dock landing ship.
The drills came ahead of the April 20 opening of the annual large-scale war games called Balikatan – or “shoulder-to-shoulder” – between Manila and Washington, which for the first time will include Japan as a full participant rather than an observer, alongside Australia.
The Philippines and China have traded accusations over a series of incidents in the South China Sea, including a recent encounter in which Beijing fired flares at a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft.
Beijing has routinely opposed Manila’s joint military activities with its allied partners in the South China Sea, saying such drills heighten tensions in the region. REUTERS
