US, Japan, Australia, and Philippines Stage Military Drills in South China Sea

The United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines held their first joint naval exercises, including anti-submarine warfare training, in a show of force Sunday in the South China Sea where Beijing’s aggressive actions to assert its territorial claims have caused alarm. A statement by the Philippines’ armed forces said the drills were held within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the South China Sea and involved aircraft and naval vessels, including littoral combat ship USS Mobile, Australian frigate HMAS Warrumanga, and Japanese destroyer JS Akebono. The exercises involved communication activities and officers of watch maneuvers aimed at improving interoperability among the four countries, it said....