Six Countries Participating in Samasama Joint Navy Drills With Philippines - Reports
© AP Photo / Bullit MarquezFILE - In this Oct. 15, 2017 file photo, the Royal Australian Navy HMAS Adelaide cruises alongside landing crafts with Philippine Marines and Australian troops as they conduct a joint Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise off Subic Bay in northwestern Philippines. Filipino and Australian naval forces held joint disaster response drills in Subic Bay facing onto the South China Sea, pointing to their deepening security ties in a region prone to calamities, piracy and territorial rifts. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)
© AP Photo / Bullit Marquez
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The navies of Australia, Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom are taking part in Day 2 of the US-Philippine joint sea exercise Samasama 2023, while Indonesia and New Zealand are attending as observers, The Manila Times reported on Tuesday.
The 2023 edition of the multilateral military exercise is taking place near Luzon island from October 2 to 13.
Philippine navy chief Vice Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr. was quoted as saying that the drills were aimed at "enhancing interoperability, fostering regional cooperation and tackling non-traditional challenges that transcend our borders," while US 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas said that the drills were enabling its participants to "train and demonstrate our resolve, to sharpen our ability, and to enhance our interoperability."
The focus is an air defense exercise involving helicopters, which are training to land on different types of carriers, and tracking and identifying approaching aircraft, according to the report.
The drills also involve an anti-submarine warfare component, the Philippine navy's Southern Luzon force spokesman Lt. Kim Paulo Lopez said in a statement late on Monday.
This year's Samasama exercise is being held amid tensions between the Philippines and China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where on October 4 Philippine vessels completed a resupply mission in Second Thomas Shoal atoll, despite blocking attempts by the Chinese coast guard.
The territorial affiliation of a number of islands in the South China Sea has been the subject of disputes between China and several other Asia-Pacific countries for decades. Significant oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the continental shelf of those islands, including the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines are involved in the disputes to some extent.