SAN ANTONIO (AFP) – Australian and Filipino troops held exercises yesterday with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos hailing them as an “extremely important” example of close cooperation.
“Considering that there have been so many events that attest to the volatility of the region, this kind of exercise, this kind of close strategic cooperation between countries around the region is extremely important,” Marcos told reporters.
“It is an important aspect of how we prepare for any eventuality,” he said of the drills, which he watched with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
The air, sea and land drills, the first major joint exercise by the two countries, simulated retaking an enemy-controlled island.
About 1,200 Australian soldiers and 560 Filipino marines stormed a beach during the exercise, arriving in amphibious assault vehicles, by parachute and aboard United States Osprey aircraft.
Two advanced Australian F-35 fighter jets provided close air support, and Australian warships secured the surrounding waters.
“We are committed to an idea of a world in which disputes are determined by reference to international law, and what we will do is bring our military capability to enhance the rules-based order,” Marles said at a news conference later.
“Peace is maintained through the protection of the global rules-based order,” he said, warning that order was now “under pressure”.
Marles and his Filipino counterpart Gilberto Teodoro also issued a joint statement on yesterday indicating their intent to plan bilateral joint patrols.
Those expanded bilateral activities could eventually include “other countries committed to sustaining peace and security in our region,” they said. The Philippines hosted a meeting this week with its fellow members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to negotiate a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
