Manila, Philippines – The Philippines, Japan, and the United States have reportedly successfully conducted the 15th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) on February 23–26 in the West Philippine Sea.
This week-long multilateral training demonstrates a more profound level of collaborative activity aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation among the three nations.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the MMCA features similar activities scheduled throughout the year, involving naval and air assets from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).
The Philippines deployed its assets, including the BRP Antonio Luna with an embarked AW-159 helicopter, and Philippine Air Force aircraft such as FA-50 fighter jets, C-208B, A-29 “Super Tucano”, and a “Sokol” (W-3A) search and rescue helicopter, the AFP stated.
Japan utilized its P-3 “Orion” maritime patrol aircraft, while the U.S. deployed the USS Dewey (DDG-105) and a P-8A “Poseidon.”
Prior to this, the 14th MMCA was conducted from February 15–16, which was participated by the Australian Defence Force and INDOPACOM.
The exercise included a communications check exercise, maritime domain awareness, replenishment at sea, friendly flight/joint air patrol, fly-bys, division tactics/officer of the watch maneuvers, photo exercise, and an anti-submarine warfare exercise.
A live-fire gunnery exercise was also conducted by the BRP Antonio Luna to test its accuracy and targeting capabilities under real-life maritime conditions.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also participated in the exercise by deploying the BRP Gabriela Silang, aiming to further strengthen interoperability and maritime coordination.
The PCG stated that the successful 15th MMCA demonstrates their commitment to stabilizing inter-agency cooperation and improving maritime security and maritime domain awareness.