By Jyoti Jha
Coast Guard ships from the Philippines, Japan and the United States carried out law enforcement drills. The drills took place near the disputed waters of the South China Sea. This development took place amidst the rising tensions between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. Since then, there has been a fair bit of pressure from Washington DC to strengthen and reinforce their alliance with Asia.
US-Chinese relations have been on the news post the G7 Summit that took place in May 2023. This period of icy relations between the two global giants has been termed the second Cold War by many. Chinese officials have made their concerns regarding the United States Government policies very clear. “Containment”, “Suppression”, and “Encirclement” were the terms used by PRC officials.
These drills were witnessed by journalists who went on board to report the details of the event. The drills were carried out in BRP Cabra, the Philippines Coast Guard Patrol ship. These drills primarily revolved around a scenario where the officials boarded a vessel that was suspected to carry weapons meant for mass destruction. The vessel was operating off the Bataan Peninsula. The Philippine territory of the Bataan Peninsula was surrendered by the United States after the Second World War. Thereafter, it was briefly controlled by the Japanese.
According to reports of the drill, shots were fired. The coast guards were seen arriving in a speedboat and rapidly boarding the suspected vehicle. The crew members were directed towards the stern. During this mock attack, a hovering helicopter stood by as American and Japanese coast guards helped the team rescue members of the crew who had jumped off the vessel.
“We are not just all display,” Mr. John Ybanez, the deputy spokesperson of the Philippines Coast Guard said. He held that these practice scenarios would allow them to help each other out in other possible future scenarios.
The Philippines, the United State’s oldest treaty ally in the Asian continent, hosted 1-7 exercises in June. The 127-meter Stratton, one of the best cutters, was deployed by the United States Coast Guard. This 418-foot-long cutter was conducting various exercises in the said region. The experience gathered would be shared through search and rescue operations and through law-enforcement drills.
This venture is to be the first-ever trilateral engagement among the coast guards of these countries. It is expected to present myriad opportunities and enhance global ties through maritime governance. The professional exchanges taking place between these countries are going to be a result of combined operations involving coast guards from all three nations.
Captain Krautler, the commanding body of the Stratton stated that together, these nations would demonstrate maritime operational and professional standards. The rule-based operations would be designed to achieve the greater goal of an open and free Indo-Pacific route.
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