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AFP chief denies Japan-US-Australia joint drills in South China Sea

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Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="This US Navy photo obtained Oct. 7, 2019 shows the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)(L), and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 6) and ships from the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group underway in formation while conducting security and stability operations in the US 7th Fleet area of operations on Oct. 6, 2019 in the South China Sea. Erwin Jacob V. Miciano, Navy Office of Information via AFP" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/08/20191007-uss-ronald-reagan-south-china-sea-afp.jpg"/><figcaption>This US Navy photo obtained Oct. 7, 2019 shows the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)(L), and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 6) and ships from the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group underway in formation while conducting security and stability operations in the US 7th Fleet area of operations on Oct. 6, 2019 in the South China Sea. <em>Erwin Jacob V. Miciano, Navy Office of Information via AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Monday denied a report that Japan, the United States and Australia would conduct joint naval drills in the South China Sea this week.</p><p>“We heard about this from the Kyodo News article. Nagtanong kami sa counterparts natin—Japan, US and Australia—they don’t know anything about the exercise,” Brawner told defense reporters in a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo. </p><p>“As far as we are concerned, hindi natin alam kung saan galing ito. Per coordination with our counterparts, walang exercise among the three nations in the next few weeks,&quot; he added.</p><p>(We asked our counterparts, they don’t know anything about the exercise. We don&#x27;t know where this came from. Per coordination with our counterparts, there is no exercise among the three nations in the next few week.) </p><p>Citing multiple unnamed sources, Kyodo News reported on Friday that Japan, the US and Australia would hold joint naval drills in the South China Sea this Wednesday.</p><p>The report said the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force would send its largest destroyer, the Izumo. The US Navy and Royal Australian Navy, meanwhile, will supposedly deploy their amphibious assault ships, America and Canberra, respectively.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W4ed27AHljE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Brawner also denied the Japanese news agency’s report that the Philippines declined to participate in the trilateral drills, explaining that the country hoped to conduct more joint exercises. </p><p>“We also asked the Philippine Navy, hindi rin nila alam. Wala kaming alam na tumanggi ang AFP na sumali sa exercises na ito. Contrary to that, talagang ini-encourage nating magkaroon ng joint exercises among like-minded nations,” the AFP chief said.</p><p>(We don&#x27;t know any refusal from the AFP to join this exercise. Contrary to that, we encourage joint exercises among like-minded nations.)</p><p>“From our point of view, wala tayong alam na ganon at hindi tayo tumanggi. Sa tingin ko, na-misinterpret lang na ‘yung exercise Alon kasama natin ang Australia at US, pero hindi tayo nagpadala ng barko. Instead, we sent our Philippine Marines to exercise with the US Marines and Australian Defense Force,” he added.</p><p>(I think the Alon exercise with Australia and the US may have been misinterpreted because we did not send ships.)</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/08/23/joint-patrols-in-south-china-sea-to-begin-very-soon-envoy">Joint patrols in South China Sea to begin &#x27;very soon&#x27; - envoy</a></li></ul><p>Exercise Alon is the first joint amphibious training between the Philippines and Australia. The drill, which started on August 14, would run up to August 31 and involve some 2,000 personnel, including 700 from the AFP, 1,200 from the Australian Defense Force, and 150 from the United States Marine Corps.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/21/23/south-korea-us-begin-joint-military-drills">South Korea, US begin joint military drills amid North Korea threat</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/19/23/biden-salutes-new-era-of-united-japan-skorea-in-face-of-china">Biden salutes &#x27;new era&#x27; of united Japan, S.Korea in face of China</a></li></ul><p>RELATED VIDEO</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2617100" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

AFP chief Brawner Jr. denied a report that Japan, the United States and Australia would conduct joint naval drills in the South China Sea this week.

AFP chief denies Japan-US-Australia joint drills in South China Sea

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AFP chief denies Japan-US-Australia joint drills in South China Sea

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 21, 2023 05:17 PM PHT

Read More:

AFP

AFP chief

Japan-US-Australia joint drills

South China Sea

West Philippine Sea

Kyodo News

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