The Philippines has wrapped up its 12th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) alongside the United States, Australia, and New Zealand to boost regional security and uphold the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.

In a statement on Saturday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the two-day maritime activity, conducted from 30 to 31 October, demonstrated the participating nations’ enduring commitment to strengthening maritime cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and promoting peace and stability in contested waters.

This latest exercise marks the seventh MMCA conducted this year and the 12th since the series began in 2024, following the successful completion of the 11th iteration in mid-September.

Participating assets included the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer; HMAS Ballarat (FFH155) and an MH-60R Seahawk from the Australian Defence Force; and the HMNZS Aotearoa (A11), the New Zealand Defence Force’s largest replenishment vessel.

The AFP deployed the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), supported by an NH441 AW159 helicopter, a C-208 surveillance aircraft, and A-29B Super Tucano close air support aircraft.

“These joint engagements further reinforce the AFP’s commitment to strengthening defense partnerships geared toward enhancing the country’s maritime security posture and protecting its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.

Complex, coordinated operations

The MMCA featured a series of maritime and aerial operations, including rendezvous and communication check exercises, division tactics, Officer of the Watch maneuvers, photo exercises, fly-by operations by the Philippine Air Force’s A-29B aircraft, and personnel and sea rider exchanges via RHIBs.

The activity also included cross-deck drills, an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) EMATT simulation, passing exercises (PASSEX), and replenishment and fueling-at-sea drills. It culminated in a final exercise (FINEX) that showcased strengthened coordination among the four nations’ maritime forces.

Growing cooperation

On board the HMNZS Aotearoa, Commanding Officer Robert Welford emphasized that the multilateral exercise strengthened coordination among participating forces while enhancing practical military skills across the four navies.

Welford noted that this month’s exercise was “more complex” than the 2024 MMCA, which also featured the same vessel.

“A year ago, we did some straightforward maneuvers. This time, we were doing anti-submarine exercises — the more complicated you make your training, the easier everything becomes,” he said.

He added that while Chinese vessels were observed nearby during the drills, the focus of the activity remained on regional cooperation.

“This part of the world is extremely important to New Zealand. We’ve got our friends in this part of the world, and we’re going to operate with them,” he said.

Welford noted that exercises like the MMCA are critical in sharpening operational readiness and improving cooperation among partner nations.

He added that the training supports a wide range of military roles — from constabulary operations to high-end warfighting — ensuring readiness across potential scenarios.

“So we just need to practice those roles all the way through, all the time, to make sure that whatever situation is presented to us, we can deal with it,” Welford said. “Our job in the military is to be ready to look after our countries and our allies.”