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Rising tensions successful the South China Sea
A World War II-era Philippine navy vessel to beryllium utilized arsenic a people successful a combat workout by American and the Philippine forces accidentally sank Monday hours earlier the mock assault, prompting the drill to beryllium cancelled, U.S. and Philippine subject officials said.
The BRP Miguel Malvar, which was decommissioned by the Philippine navy successful 2021, took connected h2o portion being towed successful unsmooth waters facing the disputed South China Sea and sank astir 30 nautical miles disconnected the occidental Philippine state of Zambales. Nobody was onboard erstwhile the vessel listed past sank, the Philippine subject said.
American and Philippine forces would proceed with different live-fire maneuvers disconnected Zambales connected Monday contempt the premature sinking of the Malvar. The vessel was built arsenic a patrol vas for the U.S. Navy successful the 1940s and was transferred to Vietnam's navy earlier the Philippine subject acquired it, Philippine navy Capt. John Percie Alcos said.
"It's an 80-year-old dilapidated vessel and it wasn't capable to withstand the unsmooth seas," Philippine Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado told The Associated Press.
Originally named the USS Brattleboro, the vessel was successful work for the U.S. Navy for much than 20 years. It was heavy progressive successful the Battle of Okinawa wherever the vas "treated implicit 200 severely wounded men and rescued successful excess of 1,000 survivors of ships that sank," according to the U.S. Navy. Brattleboro earned 3 conflict stars during World War II.
In this handout photo, provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office (PAO), the decommissioned Philippine Navy BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) takes connected h2o earlier sinking portion being positioned arsenic vas people prompting the cancellation of a live-fire drill arsenic portion of a associated U.S.-Philippines subject exercises astir 30 nautical miles westbound of San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines connected Monday, May 5, 2025.
/ AP
The vas was sold to the Republic of Vietnam successful 1966, the U.S. Navy said. The Philippine Navy acquired and refurbished the vessel aft its unit fled Vietnam pursuing the 1975 autumn of Saigon, according to Agence France-Presse.
The ship-sinking workout was planned successful an offshore country facing the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal, which has been intimately guarded by the Chinese seashore guard, navy and suspected militia ships.
The Philippines besides claims the sportfishing atoll, which lies astir 137 miles westbound of Zambales. Chinese and the Philippine forces person had progressively hostile confrontations successful the waters and airspace of Scarborough successful caller years.
The cancelled ship-sinking drill would person been the 3rd to beryllium staged by the pact allies successful caller years. It was expected to beryllium 1 of the highlights of largescale yearly subject exercises by the United States and the Philippines from April 21 to May 9 with astir 14,000 U.S. and Filipino forces participants.
Called Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder, the combat drills person progressively focused connected the defence of Philippine sovereignty successful the look of China's increasing aggression successful the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually successful its entirety.
Mock conflict scenes which person been staged truthful far, including the retaking of an land from hostile forces, person reflected assurances by the Trump administration, including by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, that the U.S. would abide by its pact committedness to support the Philippines successful lawsuit Filipino forces travel nether an equipped attack, including successful the South China Sea.
On Sunday, U.S., Australian and Philippine forces practiced retaking an land from hostile forces successful the coastal municipality of Balabac successful occidental Palawan province, which faces the South China Sea.
Japanese forces and British marines joined arsenic observers of the combat exercise, which "showcased the increasing interoperability and cohesion among spouse nations successful maintaining determination security," Salgado said.
"What we person seen since Trump returned to the White House is simply a singular level of continuity successful the U.S.-Philippines confederation not lone successful associated subject drills, but besides connected American statements that the confederation is 'ironclad,' said Derek Grossman, a elder defence expert astatine RAND Corporation.
"The Trump medication is trying to support the unit connected China done its enactment to the Philippines," Grossman said, but added that it's unclear "just however sustainable this committedness volition beryllium fixed that the Trump medication seems little hawkish connected China than its predecessors."
China has vehemently opposed specified exercises involving U.S. forces successful oregon adjacent the South China Sea oregon Taiwan, the land democracy, which Beijing claims arsenic a state and has threatened to annex by unit if necessary.
U.S. and Philippine subject officials, however, person insisted that the combat exercises were not designed with China successful caput but service arsenic a deterrence to acts of aggression successful the region.
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