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Philippine Air Force’s NC212i provides logistic support during the simulated island seizure exercise as part of the AJEX DAGIT-PA 08-2024 on November 6 at Kota Island in the West Philippine Sea.
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) showed indifference to the presence of Chinese warships during Wednesday’s maritime drills in the West Philippine Sea.
Navy personnel who were aboard the BRP Ramon Alcaraz conducted what they call a “mechanized assault” during the mock retaking exercise at Kota Island, a maritime feature 20 miles away from Pagasa Island.
Philippine Air Force’s NC212i later conducted a drop off for the troops who retook the Kota Island during the drills.
READ: AFP holds simulated island defense drills in West Philippine Sea
“We are warning our neighbors or even other external forces that we are capable of defending our islands,” said AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., partly in Filipino, during an interview after the drills.
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Two People’s Liberation Army-Navy warships and four Chinese research vessels were monitored in the vicinity during the exercises.
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This is the eighth iteration of the AFP’s annual Joint Exercise Dagat-Langit-Lupa (AJEX-DAGITPA), but Brawner noted it was the first time the drills were held on Kota Island.
“We are expecting it already,” Brawner said. “This is the first time we did the drills in this area, they seemed curious as to what we were doing.”
READ: AFP branch services lead drills facing West Philippine Sea, Taiwan
Brawner said the PLAN warships and research vessels did not interrupt the exercise and seemed to be just observing the drills.
Beijing’s presence is based on its assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.
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“It adds realism to the exercise,” Brawner further said of the Chinese presence in the drills.
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