SAN VICENTE, PALAWAN — Forces from the Philippines and Australia staged a large-scale military drill Sunday, simulating the retaking of an enemy-held island off the quiet coastal town that faces the contested South China Sea.
Colored smoke from grenades filled the horizon as troops aboard small assault boats stormed the beach, reenacting an operation to reclaim an island seized by a fictional adversary. Overhead, the Royal Australian Air Force’s EA-18G Growler and the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50 jets roared past, delivering close air support.
Nearby, at a local airfield, Filipino and American troops were inserted from US Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys and Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopters. Their mission: regain control of an airstrip overrun by mock “hostile forces.” Armed soldiers sprinted across the runway in coordinated movements to secure the area.
At sea, the Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), Australia’s HMAS Brisbane (DDG41), and Canada’s HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH332) continued their second day of joint sail, reinforcing multilateral naval coordination.
The operations are part of Exercise Alon, a biennial joint military exercise between the Philippines and Australia, running from August 15 to 29. With more than 3,600 personnel involved — including observers from the United States, Canada, and Indonesia — it is the largest iteration of the drills to date.
A major live-fire exercise is scheduled for August 27 at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija in northern Luzon, promising another round of explosive demonstrations of combat readiness.
“There is a real sense of cooperation that exists between our two forces, which has very much been on display now,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, who witnessed the drill alongside Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Teodoro said: “Things like this are done with advanced planning. However, with the realization that in a moment’s notice, let’s say for a typhoon or for whatnot, we may have to operate together.”
The training comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, following increased Chinese maritime activity and a recent collision involving Chinese vessels. Beijing — which claims nearly the entire sea — has consistently opposed Philippine military exercises with foreign partners, branding them as provocations and threats to regional stability.
Marles underscored that the exercises were not intended as a provocation, but as a demonstration of partnership. “This is about building interoperability between two countries that share common values and a commitment to upholding a rules-based order in the region,” he said.
Teodoro, meanwhile, dismissed Beijing’s criticism. “We expect criticism, but we will do what we need to do in spite of the criticism. Because the criticism, basically, of the PRC is really paranoia and it is a propaganda line,” he said.
Last week, the Philippines and Australia agreed to begin negotiations for a defense cooperation agreement, laying the groundwork for more frequent joint drills and coordinated operations.
