US and Allied Drills Counter China’s Island-Taking Tactics

The United States and its allies in the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines and Australia, held a live-fire drill to counter China’s island landing operations in the disputed South China Sea.

Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Why It Matters

The U.S. and the Philippines, which have formed an alliance under a mutual defense treaty, are conducting Exercise Balikatan—their largest annual war game—in the Southeast Asian archipelagic country from April 21 to May 9, with the involvement of Australia and Japan.

This comes as China asserts sovereignty over most of the territories in the South China Sea. Beijing’s claims overlap with those of neighboring nations. Last week, Chinese personnel displayed a national flag on an uninhabited feature near a Philippine island in the region.

What To Know

In a set of photos released on Thursday, the U.S. and Philippine Marines, as well as soldiers from the Australian army, fired artillery weapons at a floating target during a counter-landing exercise in Rizal, located on the island of Palawan in southwestern Philippines, on Monday.

Exercise Balikatan strengthened the U.S.-Philippine alliance and its “capable combined force,” the photo captions read, displaying the allies’ commitment to regional security and stability.

The exercise also saw the participation of the U.S. Army, which mobilized the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The rocket launcher is capable of projecting “precise, long-range fire” while quickly maneuvering in and out of operational environments.

The allied counter-landing exercise comes as the Chinese military released a video showing its four amphibious warships, which are capable of projecting ground and air power during island-landing campaigns, forming a landing ship flotilla for training in the South China Sea.

During Exercise Balikatan, the U.S. military employed new, advanced weapons for the first time, including the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). This U.S. Marine Corps’ anti-ship missile system was deployed near the Luzon Strait on April 26.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army tested its directed energy weapon during an integrated air and missile defense drill on Monday. The Integrated Fires Protection Capability High-Powered Microwave (IFPC-HPM) emits microwave energy to disrupt, disable or destroy drones.

What People Are Saying

Lieutenant General James F. Glynn, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said: “Together with our steadfast allies in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and with the growing involvement of nations with shared vital interests, like Australia and Japan, we are operating as a force with mutually supporting capabilities ready to meet challenges in the region and defend a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said: “We always hold that military cooperation between countries should not target or hurt the interests of any third party, nor should it jeopardize regional peace and stability … However, the Philippines holds a candle to the devil by currying favor and colluding with the US and other outside countries.”

What Happens Next

Both the U.S. and the Philippines, as well as China, are expected to continue flexing their military power in and around the South China Sea as Manila and Beijing refuse to back down over the sovereignty disputes in the contested waters.