go through Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, reporter
The U.S. military deployed advanced anti-fleet missile systems in northern Philippines on Saturday as part of the annual Balikatan (shoulder and shoulder) war, the Philippine military said on Sunday.
The U.S. Marines brought the Navy Naval Expeditionary Ship Intercept System (NMES) aboard C-130 cargo aircraft to an undisclosed location in northern Luzon, where it will participate in military exercises in the provinces of Cagayan and Batanis, the Philippines' military said.
“NMES provides a flexible and expedient ocean denial capability for joint and joint forces, which contributes to collective defense of both countries,” it said in a statement.
Military exercises in northern Luzon will see how the Philippines and U.S. troops rehearse how to repel invasions and test the Philippines’ coastal defense systems. It aims to strengthen security cooperation and enhance response to China’s actions in the region that it claims its broadly stakeholder.
The Balikatan practice is the largest annual exercise for the Philippines and U.S. military, with combat exercises held near regional flashpoints this year, such as the Batanes province near Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Raymond M. Powell, a researcher at the National Security Innovation Center at Stanford University Goldi University, said that since its launch on April 21, about six Chinese research vessels have sailed near the province of Batanis.
“Unexpected Chinese research vessels were deployed around Batanes last week,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. He added that Beijing may have deployed vessels in response to joint military exercises focused primarily on the northern Philippines and its west coast.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to Viber's information seeking comments.
This is also following a report from the Philippine Navy, which said a Chinese aircraft carrier and a spy ship near the Philippines coast were under surveillance last week.
In addition, Indopacom said Friday that its Nimitz aircraft carrier group operates in the Philippine Sea, where it will practice day and night flight operations and can quickly deploy military aircraft under a variety of weather conditions.
“These activities support maritime security and ensure that the U.S. Navy remains ready to fight to project power throughout the theater,” Indopacom said in a statement published on its website.
As Beijing continues its sovereignty over almost the entire ocean, considered a crucial global trade route and believed to be a crucial global trade route with mineral abundance, the South China Sea has become a regional flashpoint.
Philippine and Chinese forces have been repeatedly quarreled in their maritime competitive claims, and tensions revolve around controversial maritime features such as the Sprat Islands and the Scarborough Shoals.
Just last week, Chinese state media reported that the Chinese Coast Guard asserted sovereignty on a disputed reef near the Philippine military post in the South China Sea, which could lead to escalating tensions in the disputed ocean.
China's Coast Guard “enforces maritime management” against Sandy Cay, landing on a maritime feature just a few miles from Pag-asa Island Global Era Reported on April 24.
The Philippine Ministry of Defense and the Philippine Armed Forces did not immediately respond to Viber's information seeking comments.
The Chinese Coast Guard conducted a “one-one inspection” and recorded “illegal activities”, while the coast guard officials showed the Chinese flag on the reef, Global Era Report.
