The disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will witness today an unprecedented display of strength as the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and the United States will conduct a quadrilateral maritime activity in pursuit of “upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight and respect for maritime rights under international law (United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

The four nations’ defense chiefs, in a joint statement Saturday, said the conduct of a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone is a demonstration of their collective commitment “to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The participating countries will use their combined defense and armed forces units and their naval and air assets for the MCA, demonstrating professional interactions among the four countries’ naval and air forces.

They said the MCA will be conducted “in a manner that is consistent with international law as well as the domestic laws and  rules of the respective nations, and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other states.”

“Ultimately, the Maritime Cooperative Activity will strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures,” the statement read.

“We stand with all nations in safeguarding the international order — based on the rule of law — that is the foundation for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region,” it added.

The Philippines, Japan, Australia and the United States “reaffirmed their position on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute.”

Defense chiefs on MCA

Australian Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Richard Marles said his country has consistently emphasized the importance of all states exercising their rights and freedoms, including the freedom of navigation, in a manner consistent with international law.

“Australia is committed to working with our partners to uphold the global rules-based order,” Marles said.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said his country’s series of bilateral and multilateral MCA with allies “is a step in building our capacity for individual and collective self-defense.”

Teodoro recently announced the Philippines’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept to “strengthen and deepen its cooperation and interoperability with all nations — big or small — and maintain regional peace and stability as well as good order at sea based on international law, principally UNCLOS.”

“This first in a series of activities demonstrates the enduring friendship and partnership among the peace-loving peoples of the Philippines, United States, Australia and Japan,” Teodoro added.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin underscored that every country should be free to conduct lawful air and maritime operations.

“These activities with our allies Australia, Japan, and the Philippines underscore our shared commitment to ensuring that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” Austin said.

“Our operations together support peace and stability at the heart of our shared vision for a free and open region,” he added.

Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru reiterated his country’s opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo by force and any actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea.”

“Japan believes that the issue concerning the South China Sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and the United States,” Minoru said.

Kihara said the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific always guides Japan.

He added: “Japan has the vital importance of striving to realize a free and open international order based on the rule of law and securing regional peace and stability in cooperation with its allied like-minded countries and others.”

Assets, anti-submarine drills

In a phone interview, Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the MCA will involve five ships, including two from the Philippines — the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force will deploy its destroyer, the JS Akebono, while the United States will send its littoral combat ship, the USS Mobile, and Australia, the HMAS Warramunga.

The four countries will conduct naval activities, such as tactical, link, photo and communication exercises (PHOTOEX).

The Japanese Embassy on Saturday said anti-submarine warfare training will be included in the MCA.

Andolong, however, would not confirm the training that will be part of the MCA.

“I have no information on the anti-submarine exercise,” he said.

He said the participating vessels will hold the drills from the south of the Philippines’ EEZ to the north, encompassing the Western Command and Northern Luzon Command jurisdictions.

“The objectives of these activities are to enhance the participating forces’ ability to work together effectively in maritime scenarios,” he said.

Andolong added: “This activity sends a clear message of unity and resolve in upholding universally recognized norms and principles and represents a practical implementation of our partnership with like-minded countries.”

Uninvited guest

However, the Philippines expects an “uninvited guest” to intrude on the MCA.

“This MCA is being conducted within the Philippine EEZ, in accordance with international law and, as I said earlier, to establish norms in pursuit of our national interest, although we expect China to malign the exercise as they always do,” Andolong said.