Philippines, US begin ‘Sama Sama’ naval drills in Subic

MANILA, Philippines — The US Navy, US Marine Corps, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and allied forces commenced on Monday Exercise Sama Sama in the vicinity of Subic Bay to enhance interoperability and strengthen security ties among regional partners.

The start of the eighth iteration of Exercise Sama Sama marked the beginning of two weeks of maritime engagements.

Sama Sama 2024, part of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) series, builds on previous maritime collaboration, expanding its scope of operations with both shore and sea phases.

Participants will engage in specialized training across a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, legal operations, engineering, logistics and public affairs.

“This exercise has evolved significantly since its inception. What began as a bilateral event between the United States and the Philippines has grown into a multilateral and multiplatform operation, bringing together like-minded partners from across the Indo-Pacific,” said the US head of delegation, Rear Adm. Todd Cimicata, commander of Logistics Western Pacific and Task Force 73.

“Sama Sama” – which means “togetherness” in Filipino – reflects the spirit of the decades-long partnership between allies in the region. Sama Sama 2024, a Philippine-US bilateral exercise with invited allied and partner participants, continues to evolve in both complexity and scope into a more sophisticated and multinational environment with each iteration.

This year’s exercise also includes participants from Australia, Japan, Canada, France and Japan, representing a collective commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Working alongside naval vessels and maritime surveillance aircraft, specialized teams, including diving and explosive ordnance disposal units, will conduct high-intensity drills focusing on anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare and maritime domain awareness.

28 Chinese ships around West Philippine Sea

Twenty-eight People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels roamed the vicinity of three of the most important features of the West Philippine Sea (WPS), including the Ayungin Shoal, during the past seven days.

The Philippine Navy said it is continuously monitoring the areas that are vital to protecting the country’s exclusive economic zone.

From Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, a total of 190 Chinese boats including maritime militia vessels were seen in various parts of the WPS.

The Philippine Navy, however, takes note of how 28 of the PLAN and CCG vessels are concentrated in the Ayungin, Escoda (Sabina) and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoals. — Michael Punongbayan